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President Barack Obama greets military personnel at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, April 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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| Obama Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq | ||
| 2009-04-07 | ||
| BAGHDAD -- On a trip shrouded in secrecy, President Barack Obama flew into Iraq on Tuesday for a brief look at a war he opposed as a candidate and now vows to end as commander in chief. Obama flew into the country hours after a car bomb exploded in a Shiite neighborhood of the capital city, a deadly reminder of the violence that has claimed the lives at least 4,266 members of the U.S. military since March 2003.
Shortly before leaving Turkey, the president held out Iraq as an example of the change he seeks in policies inherited from former President George W. Bush. "Moving the ship of state takes time," he told a group of students in Istanbul. He noted his long-standing opposition to the war, yet said, "Now that we're there," the U.S. troop withdrawal has to be done "in a careful enough way that we don't see a collapse into violence."
Tuesday's trip was Obama's third to Iraq, and his first since taking office. He met with U.S. commanders and troops last summer while seeking the presidency. Because of security concerns, the White House made no advance announcement of the visit, and released no details for his activities on the ground. It was the last stop of an eight-day trip to Europe and Turkey during which Obama sought to place his stamp on U.S. foreign policy after eight years of the Bush administration. | ||
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #16 I've been out of touch with the news, but thought I heard Obambi got to Iraq airport but weather kept him from helicoptering in to the city so he conducted his meeting with Maliki et al by phone. He could have done that without even landing. And if he hadn't telegraphed his punch, he probably could have safely convoyed to town (Bush might have had enough courage and stupidity to have tried that, though I wouldn't have recommended it.) |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-04-07 22:00 |
| #15 How ironic - the greatest Communist, 9-11 Terrorist, Traitor and Murderer of 3000 Americans of all is called "Mr. President"! |
| Posted by: Titus Whiter9537 2009-04-07 21:37 |
| #14 photo here President Barack Obama greets military personnel at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, April 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) and |
| Posted by: john frum 2009-04-07 19:47 |
| #13 “…That is an extraordinary achievement and for that you have the thanks of the American people.” At least he didn’t refer to the war as a “distraction” in front of the troops… as he did for his European adourners. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2009-04-07 19:16 |
| #12 CRAP! IS-tanbul. Go ahead...I can take it :) |
| Posted by: logi_cal 2009-04-07 18:11 |
| #11 Thank you, Sherry. J |
| Posted by: logi_cal 2009-04-07 18:07 |
| #10 "Here's a couple things I want to say. Number one, thank you," the president bellowed as he addressed troops at a stopover at the tail end of a marathon overseas trip. What was number 2? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-04-07 17:50 |
| #9 Thanks Dr. Steve -- I occasionally do -- I spend most of my day in front of a computer, and get the "Breaking News" from several sources. So, usually, I'm just getting them up, wanting to read all the great snarking that goes on here! |
| Posted by: Sherry 2009-04-07 16:17 |
| #8 Sherry, as a mod you're always free to do in-lines :-) |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-04-07 16:09 |
| #7 He was in Turkey. Wow what a surprise this must have been. |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2009-04-07 16:09 |
| #6 Surprise! |
| Posted by: BHO 2009-04-07 14:32 |
| #5 logi_cal -- sorry about that! I don't usually comment, so thanks for the added comments. Job well done! |
| Posted by: Sherry 2009-04-07 12:00 |
| #4 I'm sure the logistics for a sudden turn into Iraq just happened to be in place before he landed. Yup, no chance this was purely political, nope. |
| Posted by: Charles 2009-04-07 11:45 |
| #3 No shoe tosser to welcome him? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-07 11:26 |
| #2 Links to the video of his rousing reception from the troops? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-04-07 11:06 |
| #1 Ohhhh...so disappointing. I saw this article but Sherry not only beat me to it, but missed a tremendous opportunity. Allow me to expound: On a trip shrouded in secrecy, President Barack Obama flew into Iraq on Tuesday for a brief look at a war he opposed as a candidate and now vows to end as commander in chief. Didn't you conveniently miss that vote, Mr. freshman Senator from IL and illegitimate POTUS (aka POS)? Obama flew into the country hours after a car bomb exploded in a Shiite neighborhood of the capital city, a deadly reminder of the violence that has claimed the lives at least 4,266 members of the U.S. military since March 2003. Wait...how many have died since Bambi took office, failing to end the war he promised to end? Shortly before leaving Turkey, the president held out Iraq as an example of the change he seeks in policies inherited from former President George W. Bush. Exactly how is Iraq different from Afghanistan, given the probable target is in between? "Moving the ship of state takes time," he told a group of students in Istanbul. He noted his long-standing opposition to the war, yet said, "Now that we're there," the U.S. troop withdrawal has to be done "in a careful enough way that we don't see a collapse into violence." Still using Ayers euphemisms, hmmmm??? In office only 11 weeks, Obama has already announced plans to withdraw most U.S. combat troops on a 19-month timetable. The drawdown is to begin slowly, so American forces can provide security for Iraqi elections, then accelerate in 2010. As many as 50,000 troops are expected to remain in the country at the end of the 19 months to perform counterterrorism duties. Predictably, Reuters (aka 'Bama Press Corps') asserts that anything Bama does on Iraq is just fine (everything GW did was wrong). Because of security concerns, the White House made no advance announcement of the visit, and released no details for his activities on the ground. I suppose it was a slip of the tongue mentioning Iraq in Instanbul (any idiot knew he would be going to Iraq). It was the last stop of an eight-day trip to Europe and Turkey during which Obama sought to place his stamp on U.S. foreign policy after eight years of the Bush administration. Hmmm...I guess Instanbul doesn't count as part of Europe (oops...did Reuters mean 'European Union' & Turkey???) Oh, and don't worry, Zero...your 'stamp' on history is all but assured, despite all the attempts to whitewash it as you go... He and other world leaders pledged cooperation to combat a global recession, and he appealed with limited success for additional assistance in Afghanistan, a war he has vowed to intensify. The new president drew large crowds as he offered repeated assurances that the United States would not seek to dictate to other countries. Nope...dictate to no one...except Euro (on Turkey & stimulus), Pakistan, Afhanistan & Iraq...but that's all (maybe). He had pledged as a candidate to visit a majority-Muslim nation in his first 100 days in office. I guess Saudi Arabia doesn't count. I guess he 'does' have to keep his distance from 'oil', doesn't he (sure got that bow in, though!). Ok. Now I feel a 'little' better... |
| Posted by: logi_cal 2009-04-07 10:51 |