Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Swagger Down to Baghdad
The media is getting all atwitter over Bush's "surprise" visit to Iraq to talk to al Maliki. This visit occurs after the heralded "summit" on Iraq at Camp David this weekend.

I have two thoughts on the matter. First, this isn't news. Consider this:
After dinner with his cabinet at Camp David on Monday night, President George W. Bush said he was tired and wanted to read.

Instead, he sneaked off the heavily guarded grounds, boarded a nondescript helicopter for Andrews Air Force Base and then a secrecy-cloaked flight to Baghdad.

Bush had slipped away, pleading exhaustion by saying, "I'm losing altitude," and later seemed jubilant to have pulled off his presidential disappearing act.
Wooowsers. Bush was able to sneak out of Camp David to Iraq!

Big deal.

Now, had Bush announced a planned trip to Iraq to visit the new head of the government .... that would be news. But the very fact that Bush still has to slink around and keep an Iraqi trip secret even from administration officials is a sign that it's a status quo situation in Iraq.

The other thought I had was that the timing of this trip is interesting. I'm wondering if Bush is informing Maliki that we're on our way out. Perhaps after the Camp David get-together, a withdrawal plan has been developed (or at least a plan to withdraw to those non-existant permanent bases) and that Bush is passing on the bad news.

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damned. Iraq is so upside down at this point that any Bush plans are simply rearranging the proverbial deck chairs.
Written at 9:23 AM by Greyhair.
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