Bush goes to Baghdad to give assurances

U.S. President George W. Bush, left, meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, right, at the U.S. Embassy in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq Tuesday, June 13, 2006. President Bush reviewed the next steps in the troubled three-year old Iraq war on Tuesday in a surprise visit to Baghdad and a meeting with newly named Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. (AP Photo/Ahmad al-Rubaye, Pool)

This is from Yahoo News:

BAGHDAD, Iraq -
President Bush assured Iraqis in a surprise visit to Baghdad on Tuesday that the United States stands with them and their new government. "It's in our interest that
Iraq succeed," he said, seated alongside newly named Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The dramatic trip came as Bush sought to bolster support for Iraq's fledgling government and U.S. war policy at home.

"I've come to not only look you in the eye. I've also come to tell you that when America gives its word, it keeps its word," Bush told al-Maliki.

The president also was to visit U.S. troops as part of what aides said was to be a visit of just over five hours to the war-scarred country.

You know, not only can I not make this stuff up, but I'm not sure how to comment on this Keystone Kops publicity stunt. Because that is all there is to this trip--a dramatic account of President Bush stepping into war-torn Iraq to give assurances to the Iraqi puppet government that America will stand by its side--and when the Iraqis step up, we will step down.

Right....

So what was the purpose of Bush's trip? First, it certainly makes a great publicity show of the two leaders--President Bush and his puppet--standing side-by-side with their hands clasped together in a show of solidarity. The U.S. and the Iraqi puppet government are winning the war with the insurgency! And as proof of their winning the war, we've been over-exposed to al-Zarqawi's dead mugshot in the media for this past week. But there is more to this story. There was another purpose for Bush's secret trip to Iraq--how about to inspect the Iraqi cabinet that al-Maliki had formed? Consider this from the Yahoo story:

Al-Maliki, who didn't know Bush was coming until five minutes before they met, said that Iraq was "determined to succeed, and we have to defeat terrorists and defeat all the hardships."

Bush made it clear, however, that a U.S. military presence — now at about 132,000 troops — would continue for awhile.

"I have expressed our country's desire to work with you, but I appreciate you recognize the fact that the future of the country is in your hands," Bush said.

"The decisions you and your cabinet make will determine as to whether or not your country succeeds, can govern itself, can defend itself, can sustain itself," he added.

"I am impressed with the cabinet you have assembled," Bush said.

Bush waited until al-Maliki filled the final positions in his government before making the trip. Those posts were filled last Thursday.

I guess al-Maliki get's Washington's stamp of approval for his cabinet assembling skills--straight from the ass's mouth! Of course, I have to wonder if al-Maliki had chosen his cabinet from a list of names that Washington had sent him. And President Bush had to secretly come to Iraq to inspect al-Maliki's cabinet.

What amazes me here at how much of a puppet al-Maliki is to Washington is that he never even knew that Bush was coming until five minutes before they met. Bush didn't ask to be invited to Iraq--he just came. Talk about the Bush administration's arrogance. Now I'm sure that you can argue that the administration did this for security and protection of the president, but to the point of not telling the Iraqi Pime Minister until five minutes before they were to meet? The Iraqi Prime Minister is suppose to be our ally in this war, and yet we have a president who decides when and where he can come into Iraq--supposedly a sovereign country--uninvited and unannounced, to his PR-whim. The U.S. is treating the Iraqi government like dirt. And if it has gotten so dangerous for President Bush to travel anywhere in this world, then Bush should either stay home in Washington, or change his policies to make the U.S. more accommodating to world interests and opinions.

Let's face it. This is nothing more than another bad White House publicity stunt to try to boost Bush's poll numbers. That is all this is. In fact, that is the only thing the Bush White House can do--play a marketing and public relations game to sell failed political, economic, and domestic policies that have been written by PNAC neocons, or Big Business cronies. Bush's poll numbers have been dropping, with a majority of the American public believing that the war in Iraq is going badly for the U.S. Then we get this bit of good(?) news on American forces killing al-Zarqawi, and the White House PR-marketing staff decides to concoct this turkey of a publicity stunt to show Bush is on the job in Iraq. Consider this from the Yahoo story:

The prime minister had been invited to the embassy on the pretense of taking part in a video conference with Bush, supposedly at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. The videoconference went on as scheduled, but with Bush appearing alongside al-Maliki.

What had been announced as a two-day meeting at Camp David was part of a ruse to conceal Bush's Baghdad trip and a cover story to bring al-Maliki and his cabinet to the green zone.

Bush's aides and advisers had expected the president to be at the table with them for the videoconference. Instead, they saw him from Baghdad. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Vice President Dick Cheney were in on the secret.

It is all about PR. Here we've got these Bush aids and advisors making this trip to Camp David to discuss options regarding this war in Iraq. And when they get to Camp David, the president isn't even there to discuss these problems--he's off in Iraq playing with his toy puppet. It was a wasted trip for these advisors. The White House could have scheduled a meeting with these advisors later this week after the Iraq trip. Even better yet, why not schedule Bush as going on a weekend retreat to Camp David, and then having him fly to Iraq? It is all about style for this Bush White House--look, I'm video-conferencing in Iraq with my toy puppet! It is not about policy work.

What a waste.