Traveling Man

A dead Zarqawi, a government in Iraq after six months of wrangling and a presidential visit to Baghdad are the components of BushCheney’s latest “turnaround” in Iraq. Americans will, no doubt, be pleased at the prospects offered by events. Iraqis, especially Iraqi nationalists will see more death and destruction, a weak government with little legitimacy and the presence of a foreign Occupier, all invitations to continue fighting. In the long run, Americans will see little change unless BushCheney is able to use them as cover to begin withdrawing American forces. If he’s smart, he will. There seems to be a growing consensus that the US military cannot maintain its current level of combat for much longer. (See Barry McCaffrey’s recent remarks on Meet the Press.

NPR’s reporter traveling with the presidential party said that the Baghdad visit was designed to build some momentum on recent positive events. He quoted aides who contrasted this visit, where BushCheney traveled to the Green Zone with the 2003 Thanksgiving Turkey visit, in the dark and restricted to the American air base in Baghdag. They call that Progress. I call it pretty damn lame for all that blood and treasure. No democracy, freedom, stability or security but senior American officials can travel between fortified strongholds in Iraq after three years. That’s worse than Vietnam in the day. Americans could travel in many areas by (day at least) with minimal risk. I did. An American trying that in today’s Iraq would be on a suicide mission.

Juan Cole describes the “parlous situation” surrounding BushCheney’s visit to Iraq.

The president of the United States, who supposedly conquered the country three years ago, had to keep his visit secret even from the prime minister he was going to visit, until five minutes before their meeting. That tells me Bush's people don't trust Nuri al-Maliki very far. In fact, apparently Bush's people don't trust Bush's people very far-- only Cheney and Condi are said to have known about the trip in the US. And, Air Force One had to land after a sharp bank, to throw off any potential shoulder-held missile launchers in the airport area. The president couldn't go to the Green Zone in a motorcade, for fear of car bombs, but had to be helicoptered in....Bush left after night fell to return to Washington. The plane left at a steep angle with its lights out and the shades drawn.

Three years ago, BushCheney posed with a fake turkey. This time with a newly-minted Iraqi government. I doubt this latest photo-op will have any more long term significance than the last.

[Update at 16:12 MST:] Another view on the Baghdad road trip is here. And, yes, I did mean Mountain Standard Time. Arizonans not living on the Navajo Reservation do not participate in DST. We're strange like that.