Supposedly he is in Baghdad --- Guess he had to out do Hillary. No surprise Fox news broke in like this was the end of the world. Good move for him though.
Wow!...I was gonna get this through as well,...What a topper! This was very gutsy and a big move. Congratulations on Bush making this profound decision...What a leader! ...This has to be a morale booster, and show he is truly with the troops, with the mission, and commited...First, I am impressed by two democratic senators going to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving day, and then this...wow!
Bush Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent BAGHDAD, Iraq - President Bush (news - web sites) made a surprise Thanksgiving visit to American troops in Baghdad Thursday, flying secretly to violence-scarred Iraq (news - web sites) to thank U.S. forces for serving there. It was the first trip ever by an American president to Iraq — a mission tense with concern about his safety. "You are defending the American people from danger and we are grateful," Bush told some 600 soldiers who were stunned and delighted by his appearance. The president's plane — its lights darkened and windows closed to minimzie chances of making it a target — landed under a crescent moon at Bagdad International Airport. Bush flew in on the plane he most often uses, and White House officials went to extraordinary lengths to keep the trip a secret, fearing its disclosure would prompt terrorist attempts to kill him. The news of Bush's trip was not released until he was in the air on the way back to the United States. "If this breaks while we're in the air we're turning around," White House communications director Dan Bartlett told reporters on the flight to Baghdad. Security fears were heightened by an attack last Saturday in which a missile struck a DHL cargo plane, forcing it to make an emergency landing at the airport with its wing aflame. Bush spent only about two hours on the ground, limiting his visit to the airport dinner with U.S. forces. The troops had been told that the VIP guests would be L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition forces in Iraq. In a ruse staged in the name of security, the White House had put out word that Bush would be spending Thanksgiving at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, with his wife, Laura, his parents and other family members. Even the dinner menu was announced. Instead, Bush slipped away from his home without notice Wednesday evening and flew to Washington to pick up aides and a handful of reporters sworn to secrecy. Plans called for the trip to be abandoned if word had leaked out in advance. Within the White House only a handful of senior aides knew about the trip, officials said. Security fears were underscored by regular attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq. More than five dozen U.S. troops were killed by hostile fire in November, more than any other month since the end of major combat in Iraq on May 1. Early this week, a U.S. military official, Col. William Darley, said attacks peaked at more than 40 per day about two weeks ago and have since dropped to about 30 per day. The violence persisted Thursday as the president was en route here. Insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Italian mission in Baghdad, damaging the building but causing no injuries, the U.S. military said. Also, a U.S. military convoy came under attack on the main highway west of Baghdad near the town of Abu Ghraib, witnesses said. And in the northern city of Mosul, unidentified gunmen shot dead an Iraqi police sergeant, said Brig. Gen. Muwaffaq Mohammed. Since operations began, nearly 300 U.S. service members have died of hostile action, including 183 since May 1 when Bush declared an end to major fighting. Bush's father visited U.S. troops at a desert outpost in Saudi Arabia on Thanksgiving Day 1990, in the runup to the Gulf War (news - web sites). "We won't pull punches. We are not here on some exercise. And we're not walking away until our mission is done, until the invader is out of Kuwait," he told the troops. At one p oint, he climbed into a bunker to chat with troops. Bush's father shared lunch with U.S. troops 65 miles from Kuwait, occupied at the time by Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s forces. George H.W. Bush had been the first U.S. president to visit a front-line area since President Nixon went to Vietnam in 1969.
While I lean right and I usually don't agree with most of the things he does, ill admit that this holiday, the man has some class. Risky, but classy. Funny thing that Mr(s) Clinton happens to be in Afghanistan (where was that again?), Maybe they can meet up later, hook up, and end all this bipartisanship?
yeah maybe while he is there he could fly a plane and drop a few bombs himself. celebrate going across the ocean and taking a country from a group of people, by going back across the ocean and celebrate killing some people for some oil. just great, cheers for everyone.
The strong survive, and are meant to rule the weak. Great PR move by Bush BTW. Even though he only actually spent 2 hours on the ground.
I was watching C-SPAN coverage of W's visit this evening (after my Thanksgiving turkey dinner), and it certainly seemed to lift morale for the troops. No, but he certainly brought good cheer, just like I would wager Senator Clinton did.
Why bash Bush for doing this. It was a good thing for the President to do. I'm not in favor of many things this administration has done, and there is still a felon criminal loose on the whitehouse staff with top security clearance, at a time when our troops are at war. That's a sever national security risk. But I won't besmirch this good gesture by Bush.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17520-2003Nov27.html Analysis An Indelible Moment in A War and Presidency By Dana Milbank Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, November 28, 2003; Page A01 Three images tell the story of George W. Bush's presidency. The first, of Bush and bullhorn atop the rubble at New York's Ground Zero on Sept. 14, 2001, came to symbolize his transformation into a powerful wartime president. The second, of Bush in flight suit with "Mission Accomplished" banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, became the symbol of Bush's unrealized optimism about the U.S. military's victory in Iraq. Yesterday, Nov. 27, 2003, brought an equally vivid but more complex image of Bush. His stealthy landing in Baghdad on Thanksgiving Day portrayed a leader well aware of the chaotic and dangerous situation in Iraq but determined to assure the Iraqi people that the United States will not, as he has put it, "cut and run." While the troops cheered the moment, it is too soon to know whether the image of Bush in his Army jacket yesterday will become a symbol of strong leadership or a symbol of unwarranted bravado. Iraqis may be reassured that the United States will put down the insurgency and restore order in their country. Or they may take the image of Bush landing unannounced at night without lights and not venturing from a heavily fortified military installation as confirmation that the security situation in Iraq is dire indeed. But one thing is certain. Bush's Thanksgiving Day surprise ties him, for better or worse, ever more tightly to the outcome of the Iraq struggle. "It raises the stakes," said Rich Bond, a former head of the Republican Party. "When you're playing poker and somebody is coming at you, a great way to deter them is to raise the stakes. George Bush just placed his stature in an extraordinary way to reassert his commitment to Iraq." There is nothing novel about presidential visits to war zones at holiday time. Bill Clinton went to Kosovo for Thanksgiving in 1999, Lyndon B. Johnson went to Vietnam for Christmas in 1967, and President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower visited Korean battle fronts in 1952. Richard M. Nixon also traveled to Vietnam, in 1969. It is also not unprecedented for a president to make unannounced trips in wartime under intense security. Franklin D. Roosevelt's trips to Yalta and other ports during World War II make that clear. And while people may debate the wisdom of sending Air Force One into an area known to have frequent antiaircraft fire, security experts said the secret defensive technologies on Air Force One put the plane at little risk compared with the DHL aircraft that was struck over Baghdad a few days ago. In contrast to Bush's carrier landing, which they immediately branded a stunt, Bush's critics yesterday did not begrudge him the trip to Iraq, nor the necessary secrecy, nor even the disinformation the White House used to lead people to believe he would be at home on his ranch in Texas all day. Rather, they said the visit may come to reinforce their view that the administration has led the United States into a lonely occupation of Iraq without an obvious exit strategy. Bush's entourage was fitted with ballistic vests, and the plane came in with neither running lights nor cabin lights, parking on a dark landing strip. "The message to the Iraqis is Bush doesn't think their country is secure," said Sidney Blumenthal, a former adviser to Clinton. "It underscores the insecurity, and it conveys insularity." Chris Lehane, a strategist for retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark's presidential campaign, said Democrats would not fault Bush for visiting the troops. "It's absolutely appropriate to be honoring our soldiers overseas in battle on a day like Thanksgiving," he said. "It's more important to honor them every day, which includes allowing us to appropriately honor the heroes who come back in caskets and giving our troops a strategy so they're not there next Thanksgiving." Bush, in his brief words to the troops, had little of the braggadocio from his May 1 speech and much of the grim determination from his bullhorn speech. There were no pithy slogans on banners behind him. "You're engaged in a difficult mission," he said, with a poor amplification quality that fit the improvised nature of the trip. "Those who attack our coalition forces and kill innocent Iraqis are testing our will." But, he added to applause, "We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost in casualties, defeat a brutal dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins." The message fit the mood of the weary soldiers. In the audience, Staff Sgt. Gerrie Stokes Holloman of Baltimore said she feels "depressed" being in Iraq but buoyed by Bush's visit: "For the most part, people are tired and want to go home. But the support and encouragement we get from our leadership builds a bond with our soldiers." Retired Army Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, a commander during the 1991 Persian Gulf War who maintains extensive ties to the Army, predicted the visit would boost soldiers' morale. The visit "brought tears to my eyes," McCaffrey said. "This is the kind of thing that will have a major impact on their level of trust with their own commander in chief." The visit's impact on U.S. public opinion and on the Iraqi public is not yet knowable. Though it will be to history to judge whether this third major image of Bush's presidency will become shorthand for a failed occupation or a successful war, both supporters and critics yesterday said it was appropriate to make a holiday visit to the soldiers he sent to battle -- and to bind further his political fortunes to the outcome of the mission in Iraq. "The fact that it's on Thanksgiving is a little bit contrived, but I don't have any problem with it," said Michael O'Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution and a frequent critic of the president's Iraq policy. "It's politics the way it's supposed to be, in a sense." Staff writer Vernon Loeb contributed to this report.
Well, "his" are made of steel. One gutsy move... one (I feel), under appreciated by the "left side" of the country, move... I thought his emotions were honest... That's all I have to say about that. As far as "outdoing" Hillary... phat kung phooey on that. You tell me. Which member of the active troops gives a rip about Clinton, or his husband? And I'll tell you, "Have them email me" because I hardly believe they exist. My cousins (yes plural) that are in active duty can't stand the Clintons, and say that no one in the military can stand them... the military feels that the Clinton administration almost made out military to weak to recover (but that's another debate). The truth is probably that the dem's were planning their trip to simply outdo Bush, because they thought he was really going to Crawford for turkey dinner... as did the entire press. Besides, Pres. Bush has no need to "out do" the dem's, much less Hillary... Why would he need to "out do" her? So he can just beat her hand over fist in an election she's not even entered yet? Or has she? If anything what she did was to throw her name into the ring that she claims she doesn't want in yet... another "phat kung phooey on that." She is 100% about the political gain side of everything. Don't cheapen the President's act of good will, and IMHO honest, heart felt morale boosting trip. Had he wanted do "out do" Hillary he need only show an 8" x 10" of his choice in a spouse and compare it to Hillary's 8" x 10" of Slick Willie. Just one of many simple examples of the President's superior decision making skill over Hillary's. She married for politics, and got a political kamikaze cut-throat immoral lier, while Pres. Bush married someone with high values, and integrity. And oh yeah... I'm just waiting for the lefties to shout "he lied... he was supposed to be in Crawford" or "he risked too much" or "It was all in a Hollywood studio"... The left view radio news guys up here already questioned the validity of this story (as did some of you - first post, and others hinted - in this thread)... Goodnight, nurse. If we'd had Algore in there he'd have never had the courage to do something like this. He'd have maybe taped a video, or "went there" by sattelite... "Mr. Journalism Soldier" would've sent someone else to the front lines as he did in Vietnam (yet again another debate). BTW- he just landed in Waco... approx. 3:50 AM CST I feel this also proves that the "leaks" about top secret details on the war in Iraq that we've seen in the media were most likely from the other side of the aisle... because when the Bush camp keeps a lid on it, it stays under wraps. And who would benefit from throwing a negative spin on the military operations in the middle east region? The lefties. Bush is the man. And sorry... he'll be re-elected. The mandate will be at the polls this go round.
I think a lot of people would just say it's another cowboy act in a series of them that's become a trademark of this presidency. Plus, Bush has a habit of making a big show about his support for something and then not supporting it in his own little way. The guy supports the environment but keeps everything business as usual, he supports veterans yet torpedoes their funding, supports the troops despite constant complaints (even before the war) that they're undermanned, supports the families of troops yet cuts funding for their kid's schools right before he sends parents to war, etc. He counts on people remembering the show instead of what he actually does.
(But to the heart of the conflict? Nope. Baghdad is definitely the epicenter of conflict in Iraq. CLinton went to a fringe base. ) (to a southern, well secured by 100+ miles, location - Not like he went to Saigon). (see what I mean? Second guessing, belittling, ungrateful left -really wishing they'd gone there instead of Afghanistan) And for some reason I think the "experts" in this situation know what they're uttering here. Let the left side complaining begin. It's sad they can't come up with anything worth discussing besides all of Bush's "bravado." I glad our President has guts. We need a leader like that, and will need one from here out, after 9/11's events. The world is still that "different place" that we realized after 9/11. And it won't get better any time soon. This will take time. And the leader with "bravado" is required in a time of conflict.
Yesterday's move by Bush was a wonderful gesture for the troops in Baghdad. It took courage and determination to travel so far and give up family time on Thanksgiving. Bush's commitment to the troops is proven once again. Sadly, the liberals are making an effort to denigrade this latest move. This is simply sickening. Nothing outrages the liberals more than Bush lifting the morale of our soldiers overseas. In the liberals petty game of pessimism, they cringe when they see people responding in a positive manner to *anything*. That cringe becomes an epileptic seizure when they see Americans react so positively to something the President does. Instead of caring about what is best for Americans and for our soldiers, the liberals remain squarely focused on what is the best way to generate negative press. Pathetic.
Exactly. Why can't both sides give credit to Bush and Clinton? They both deserve major props IMO. Neither one had to do this and I'm sure the troops appreciated both visits. That's the important thing, so why can't we leave it at that? Not everything has to be about one-upping the other side...
