A ‘dramatic’ photo-op

June 13, 2006

As you’ve probably heard, Bush made an unannounced trip to Baghdad today. It’s not altogether clear why. Apparently, however, the visit was “dramatic” — because the AP says so.

President [tag]Bush[/tag] assured Iraqis in a [tag]surprise[/tag] [tag]visit[/tag] to [tag]Baghdad[/tag] 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 [tag]al-Maliki[/tag].

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.

I’m not quite sure what this means. It’s a perfectly nice, Bush-like soundbite, but in terms of explaining the point of this “[tag]dramatic[/tag] [tag]trip[/tag],” it doesn’t tell us much.

Indeed, as political theater goes, the trip was a little thin. Bush drops in unannounced for five hours — al-Maliki didn’t know the president was coming until a few minutes before he arrived — offers a few platitudes, and gets back on the plane. This conveys a clear message that … well, I’m not sure what it conveys.

It’s hard to see how the [tag]publicity[/tag] [tag]stunt[/tag] will change much. When Bush has to wear “a 25-pound flak jacket” during the helicopter flight from the airport to the green zone, and the option of having the president stay overnight in Iraq was “never seriously considered,” it only reinforces the fact that the country is deadly, dangerous, and unstable.

Having said that, today’s theatrics are a key reminder of one thing: these guys don’t know how to govern, but they’re second to none in putting together a nice [tag]photo-op[/tag].

Bush’s message to the troops:

“I’ll drop you into this quagmire for a year, but I won’t stay the night.”

  • “It’s in our interest that Iraq succeed,” Bush lied.

    The Project for a New American Century goal of a permanent American presence in Iraq depends on the Iraqi government remaining too weak to ask us to leave.

    If the Iraqi government were to prove effective enough to begin contributing significantly to world oil production, it would bring down oil prices, hurting Bush allies, Halliburton, Exxon/Mobil, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and it would give the financial capacity to fund its own Armed Forces, which, in turn, would give the Iraqis the feared capacity to ask the U.S. to leave.

    If Democrats were smart, their “Iraq plan” would focus on strengthening the Iraqi government sufficiently that the Iraqis would feel empowered to ask the U.S. to leave. That would give the Democrats leave to point out all of the ways that Bush has failed to strengthen the Iraqis, and the obvious connection between those failures and the Bush goal of an American Empire and oil profits for the allies of the Bush Family.

  • Very insightful, Bruce. Indeed, for the NeoCons, it’s all about the oil and the money… and of course making Likud feel safe.

    Problem is, if Democrats “strenghtened” the Iraqi government, the new government would have the political will and military that it needs in order to demand that every woman wear a burkha and that gays be executed… and that the “infidels” be exterminated, including not only secular Arabs and Americans, but also those pesky Israelis a few countries over. Rememebr that the vast majority in today’s Iraq would want to see a Shiite theocracy with a similar stance and structure as Iran’s. I don’t think we want that on our hands either.

    I guess what I’m saying is: heads, we lose, and tails, we lose. The NeoCons poked their dicks into an ugly but stable situation, and there is no really way out of it.

    So far, the only suggestion I’ve heard that gives me any hope of lasting peace and stability in the region, is an independent, oil-rich, Israel-tolerant, US-friendly Kurdistan (with permanent American airbases), an independent, secular, socialist Iraq consisting of the “Sunni triangle”, and a new Shiite-theocracy Arab nation comprising the majority of Iraq and Iraqis along with its sea ports and Shia shrines. All three countries of course bound by extensive treaties of cooperation. Nobody would get everything they want in such a dramatic deal, but enough people would get enough of what they want, at least to deliver some hope of peace and sense of investment in the system.

    Ultimately, I think, the blame for the failure of Iraq should be laid at the feet of the British, who, after all, created the country in the first place.

  • Chimp in Chief says: “”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.”

    And what word is that? Has he ever expressed what the hell we’re there for and under what conditions we will leave? I mean, it isn’t finding and ridding Iraq of the WMDs–there aren’t any. It isn’t ridding Iraq of a terrible dictator–Saddam is under arrest. It isn’t bringing an elected government to Iraq–there is an elected government now, over the ungovernable. So what word is this asshole giving them on behalf of our country, which has a Congress that has abdicated its responsibility and appointed him king by default? Is it, we’ll stay forever (or at least until the next administration) and make us all rich…? Is it, we don’t care how many of your and our people are killed; we’ll stay til we all feel rich enough (i.e. never leave)…? We’ll stay til we remake the Middle East…? What the hell is it?

  • … will somebody take away the ‘keys’ to Air Force One from that cocksucking fool … it costs $millions$ every time he needs a photo-op …

  • You can’t expect Bush to stick around for every tickertape parade people want to throw in thanks for their freedom and democracy.

  • Apparently, the Iraqi PM didn’t even know about this until bush was almost there?

    How often does a world leader just pop into another country unannounced and uninvited?

  • How often does a world leader just pop into another country unannounced and uninvited?

    Dumbya didn’t really have any choice — everytime he shows up announced for events with Republican candidates they come up with excuses to skip out. It would have been really embarassing for the Iraqi PM to have done the same.

  • I thought he was in Camp David ‘strategizing’ ?
    I guess the strategy was to fly over to Iraq get his picture taken, not get ‘blowed up’, fly home and tell everybody things are great.

    I’ll pick spin over substance everytime…

  • .. talk about being un-announced .. there was a time when not telling bush was coming was attributed to security reasons … now it is because nobody wants to put up with that prick … can’t that fucker get a clue and leave already?!

  • According to Sanger and Rutenberg’sthis report on the Camp David meetings.

    President Bush gathered top aides at Camp David here on Monday to calibrate the best way forward in Iraq during what the administration described as a critical juncture, following the death last week of the most-wanted terrorist in Iraq and the final formation of a unity government there.

    The meeting was as much a media event as it was a high-level strategy session, devised to send a message that this is “an important break point for the Iraqi people and for our mission in Iraq from the standpoint of the American people,” in the words of the White House counselor, Dan Bartlett.

    I guess since the Baghdad trip was part of the meeting, then Bartlet would concede that it too was nothing more than media event.

  • If the Dems were smart, they’d point out that all the secrecy surrounding his last-minute trip to Iraq clearly shows that things aren’t nearly safe enough in Bagdad for a formal State visit.

    Bush and his people obviously know this, so any platitudes saying otherwise should be publically hooted down with derision…

    –Beo

  • … the secrecy surrounding his last-minute trip to Iraq clearly shows that things aren’t nearly safe enough in Bagdad for a formal State visit.

    Yup.
    Think about it.

    They didn’t inform the Iraq PM because he can’t be trusted, nor can his henchmen.

    That tells us two things:

    1) Iraq’s government is riddled with factions, moles, and insurgents.
    2) Bush is the most loathed man in Iraq too.

  • heads up !! wsj is predictably first out of the gate .. bush is back !!
    all fixed up !! the administration has rebounded !! back on track !! etc etc.

    and let us remind ourselves what type of news headlines have inspired this.

    his bad lieutenant, an admitted liar and lawbreaker, manages to dodge an indictment bullet.

    he sneaks his nuke-proof security bubble into iraq for five hours, then hi-tails it out.

    THAT’S evidence he’s turned it around.

  • Shruby’s 6 minute acknowledgement of Maliki was just a brief riff on the extended and intended Iraqi SNAFU. If anything it reinforces to the Iraqi’s themselves the ongoing connection between Maliki and the U.S. which they now know is going to be leaving at least 50,000 troops in their backyard. The real reason for flying 6,000 miles was to get in front of the troops and speak of their fortitude and sacrifices and 9/11 and fighting “them” in Baghdad rather than America.

    Iraqi’s are really starting to grasp that they are a doormat and a target range and a military “lilypad” and a big time cover for ShrubCo political gain. I’ll bet Maliki’s pissed. He didn’t have the faintest idea when he woke up this morning he was going to be a stooge in ShrubCo’s spin machine. And whatever he might have said in the teleconference was thwarted by Shruby’s head pat and admonition to take control of his country. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki got a much clearer idea today of just what he’s dealing with. Good Luck Mr. Maliki.

  • Maybe Dems need to have their own teleconference with Mr. Maliki. Or does ShrubCo screen his calls?

  • “Indeed, as political theater goes, the trip was a little thin. Bush drops in unannounced for five hours — al-Maliki didn’t know the president was coming until a few minutes before he arrived — offers a few platitudes, and gets back on the plane.”

    That “Mission Accomplished” sign in Arabic must have gone over well.

  • One of the unintended consequences for this “Photo Op” may be a diminution in whatever perceived legitimacy of the Iraqi government had. Dropping in unannounced and uninvited is not the protocol one uses with a sovereign nation.

    Bush has effectively declared that the Iraqi government is a strawman. The “Great Decider” is the real boss.

    So why doesn’t the oil flow?

  • Another slime attack from the Cowpoke in Chief.

    “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,”

    This from the man who habitually looks folks in the eye and lies like a rug, then lies about the lying.
    al-Maliki must have horrible flash backs of that smug phoney-ass weasel doing the intense eye to eye bond of truth routine on him for the cameras. It makes my skin crawl to think of it.

  • How does this “dramatic trip” bolster support for Iraq’s fledgling government and U.S. war policy at home? Seriously.

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