Bush Makes Triumphal Visit To Al Anbar
President George W. Bush landed in Al Anbar with Secretary of State Condoleez Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Al Anbar, which accounts for roughly half the country, had degenerated into a private terrorist state run by Al Qaeda, has been turned around by an alliance between the US military and local iraqis who had finally stood up to the terrorist invaders.
“He has assembled essentially his war cabinet here, and they are all convening with the Iraqi leadership to discuss the way forward,” said the Pentagon Press Secretary, Geoff Morrell. “This will be the last big gathering of the president before the president makes a decision on the way forward,”
Notably, Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki had to board a flight from Baghdad to Al Anbar to meet with the President. So much for defiant, “we don’t need you” talk from Maliki. It’s clear who was deferring to who, and why. The flight was also notable in that provided a pointed symbol for Mr. Maliki to consider - a Shiite leader who has failed to keep his own Shiite house in order, and who has been cozying up far too closely with US and Iraq enemy Iran, was flying into almost entirely pacified Sunni territory undergoing a construction and redevelopment boom.
Bush and his team met with General David Petraeus and US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. The president will speak to about 750 troops for about 10 or 15 minutes said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, before he continues on to Australia.
Self-appointed Iraq experts Brian DePalma and Mark Cuban were nowhere to be seen.
Related: Bush Circumvents Maliki With Money For Al Anbar Reconstruction
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What no ballistic vests? Hmmm…Must be that surge is working thing again?
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:17 amAnd CNN didn’t say ONE WORD about the progress that has been made in Al Anbar in their article on this visit….
Pat, you have no idea how many times I have silenced some pretty mean spirited people with your ‘boots on the ground’ reporting. You do this country a great service, and I always make sure people get directed to this site.
I’ve actually read posts on other boards that wish bodily harm to the POTUS while he is visiting the province. To me, that is the total height of treason….and they miss the point ENTIRELY.
However, again, because of this site, I am able to tell people just how much progress is made in places like Al Anbar, and when I tell them this comes from the boots on the ground, they can’t argue with it.
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:20 amCNN just WON’T say it Kathy. It takes Pat, Hot Air and the rest of the people out there who have real, smelly, disgusting skidmarks in their drawers. You won’t find the truth from those, oh-so-lovely, Geevonshee wearing, no balls having mother fuckers. Can I say ‘fuck’ on here?
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:29 amMan, what was Bush thinking wearing all-black? It’s pretty warm here today. I wish I could have been at Al Asad today. I wonder who was inspired more, the marines that our president met, or the president and his war cabinet by the tremendous job the marines have done.
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:38 amJames -
You can say “fuck” all you want on here … Feel fucking free to say “fuck” all you want.
Why do you think they are trying to bring back the “fairness doctrine” and want to stronghold the internet blogs?
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:44 amI left out Michael Yon. I’m going to hell.
September 3rd, 2007 at 10:03 ami wish my son would have been at the air port.. but he is in ramadi.. when he gets to places like al asad he can get a good meal.. and meeting the presz would have been another high point for him. like when he met oliver north and pat dollard,,, they’re like john waynes… seeing the success in ramadi has him all pumped up on the mission.. his only demoralizing moments are when he hears names like murtha, reid, pelosi, feingold, and the other pro al queda types.. i don’t know if he knows about the new names “pamida and castro” or whatever u want to call them…SEMPER FI,,,
September 3rd, 2007 at 10:06 amGreat move on Bush, glad to see him actually tell the American people what’s up in Iraq, that there is progress going on. Wonder if the MSM will report it?
September 3rd, 2007 at 11:01 amThat was a close one James
September 3rd, 2007 at 11:41 amYES SIR!!! Consider this as GWB giving Reid, Pelosi, and Murtha a kick ass WEDGIE!!!
September 3rd, 2007 at 2:58 pmI have heard a lot of News media criticizing President Bush for going to Iraq. Well, I am no Bush lover and he has made some mistakes on the War on Terror and our Borders. But he has he right as “Commander in Chief” to go to Iraq anytime he wants too! I expect who ever is the next President should travel to Iraq to inspect the troops this is called leading by example.
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:51 pmLookin good; slim, fit and confident. My kind of leader in every way. I would love to get one of those famous hugs!
September 3rd, 2007 at 6:26 pmYeah, and wouldn’t it have been great to be in the same chow hall and be called to attention when the CIC walked in.
September 3rd, 2007 at 6:45 pmTell me you wouldn’t hoo-ah until it hurt?
Oorah Mr President. Fuck yeah. This is my third time in Anbar, and the difference really is fucking nuts. We don’t get blown up every time we drive down the road anymore, and the Iraqis really do have a new sense of motivation to move their country forward. With this progress being made by the Marines and soldiers, it must be driving the democrats mad! From what I have seen, the last thing they want is for our troops to succeed. Stay hard Mr. President. Yut yut!!
September 4th, 2007 at 6:59 am