Rummy has landed in Baghdad on surprise Iraq visit

[journalist3072]

No link yet; just News Alert banner on CNN's website.

Should be interesting...

[goclark]

Please let them keep him nt

[Captain Hilts]

1. Gee...why can't they announce the visits ahead of time? nt

[journalist3072]

7. I think these unannounced visits demonstrate how they've failed in Iraq

If we had truly won the "hearts and minds" and helped to create a peaceful environment post-war, then these secret visits wouldn't be necessary.

[uncle ray]

15. well to be honest

everything about Iraq demonstrates how they've failed in Iraq.

[bdamomma]

28. they have to watch out for those IED's

[babylonsister]

2. I hope someone nails him hypothetically.

:P

[Mz Pip]

3. Oh so what...

Big f*cking deal. Rummy goes to Baghdad. Am I supposed to be impressed. Is he now brave? Is he now competent? I don't think so.

A "surprise" visit to Baghdad does not make Rummy am\ny more credible or make the disaster that is or foreign policy more viable.

It's a photo op. NOthing more.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[journalist3072]

9. Couldn't agree with you more...But I'm just reporting the news here, lol!

[Ecumenist]

19. A-M-E-N.

[bdamomma]

29. It is their way of saying yawn Iraq

let's move on to Iran, we have killed enough people here. Sorry to say but it's true.

[Democrats_win]

Just "passing" by on his farewell tour of the disaster site.

[valerief]

4. He's spreading his love to the soldiers. n/t

[savemefromdumbya]

5. He's probably in St Michaels

[onehandle]

6. ...

...

[stepnw1f]

8. Too Bad He's in the Green Zone (nt)

[bluestateguy]

10. Is Desperate Housewives on tonight?

There don't seem to be any good movies on TV tonight.

Suggestions on video rentals?

[wordpix2]

11. should have been here watching Frontline's "Inside the Iraq Insurgency"

instead. He might have learned something about the insurgents he's fighting, why they join and why their orgs are growing. However, understanding the insurgents isn't on the chickenhawks' agenda while protecting BigOil's carved up oil fields is.

[rodeodance]

12. Reuters, Rumsfeld in surprise visit to Baghdad

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060426/pl_nm/iraq_rumsfeld_dc

Rumsfeld in surprise visit to Baghdad

3 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sought to show U.S. support for
Iraq's new leadership on Wednesday, making a surprise visit to Baghdad just days after Shi'ite politician Jawad al-Maliki was chosen as prime minister.


Rumsfeld swooped into the capital aboard a military cargo plane for his first visit to Iraq in 2006.

In addition to Iraqi political developments, Rumsfeld's trip comes as U.S. military commanders contemplate reducing the number of American troops in the country in the coming months. There are about 132,000 American troops in Iraq at present.

Rumsfeld indicated earlier this week that the
Pentagon intended to stick with plans to reduce the size of the U.S. military presence, but he gave no specific numbers nor a timetable.

[The Wielding Truth]

17. Hope he's able to "make his own reality" in Iraq so the soldiers and

Iraqi's will no longer be maimed or killed. The soldiers will be met with flowers and not as occupiers.The Middle East will be free for Democracy and we will be seen as deliverers.

But if he can't produce mass hypnosis and we are failing miserably, let him see the awful position he has stranded the good people of the United States and let him release his twisted will and give the reigns to a logically compassionate leader who is not a follower of anything Imperialistic.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

13. Anything to avoid the press, eh, Rummy?

[truthisfreedom]

14. the administration must be feeling some pressure if they're sending him

there to rally the troops. once all of this anti-rummy talk started, you can be sure that the troops starting mumbling about how they feel about him as well, all cushy in his Washington quarters, delivering impossible orders and driving the chain of command bonkers.

[arikara]

16. Maybe they can stick him on the front of a tank

use him as a figurehead or something.

[Ecumenist]

20. Oh No,not that...

He may end up getting "jacked" by a stray IED, or something.:eyes:

[Theduckno2]

18. A final visit before the second liberation of Baghdad. How ironic.

I just hope that those brave soldiers aren't used as a backdrop for one of Rumsfeld's speeches.

They don't need to be politicized any more, they need to start coming home.

[Buns_of_Fire]

21. Rumfilled better watch his ass...

I wouldn't put it past BushCo to have sent him over there just for the purpose of getting him killed in the belief that it would rally the proles against the evildoers for offing our heroic Secretary of War.

On edit: DU Thread: Poll suggests Iraq PR push falls short

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. Looks like Rice just showed up to for a 'surprise' visit

Rumsfeld, Rice Visit Iraq for Meetings With Iraqi Military Leaders

Robert Burns
The Associated Press
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; 5:22 AM

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 26 -- Iraq's selection of top government leaders marked a major step toward creating conditions that could allow a substantial number of U.S. troops to leave in the months ahead, the top American commander in the country said Wednesday.

"I'm still on my general timeline," Army Gen. George Casey told reporters after meeting with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who arrived unannounced for a daylong series of meetings with top U.S. commanders and the newly selected Iraqi leaders.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew into Baghdad from Turkey a few hours later to shore up the U.S. show of support for the newly emerging Iraqi government.

Casey did not elaborate on his timeline for reducing U.S. forces, but he has said in the past that a "fairly substantial" reduction could be made this year if the insurgency did not grow worse and if Iraq made continued progress on the political and security training fronts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/25/AR2006042502493.html?sub=AR

[Dulcinea]

23. Why do these people have to sneak in & out like cat burglars?

What a bunch of cowards.

[CJCRANE]

24. Not really a "surprise"...

totally predictable given the news cycle.

It goes a little something like this...

- capture al-Qaeda #3
- * speech about Iraq/Terror
- Bin Laden tape released
- Surprise visit to Baghdad

Next on the list could be a renewed offensive against insurgents or another Saddam court appearance.

[LetsGoMurphys]

31. I honestly don't think the same old song and dance

is going to work anymore. People have had enough. They just don't believe the bullshit anymore. Except of course for the 30 some percent.

[0007]

25. Guess who? Peek a Boo...boy will the troops be glad to see Rummy

and you just gotta know they'll be thrilled to see and hear Condi Rice.....and Tom DeLay couldn't make it because of other commitments, but don't let that get ya down..cheney will be coming to surprise y'all next month.

[BigDDem]

26. Rummy and Condiliar

Please feel free to walk the streets so you too can be greeted
with flowers and sweets.

[bdamomma]

27. surprise visits made by rummy and rice

they have to have these surprise visits, to cover their asses.

[LetsGoMurphys]

30. Grab a gun you coward n/t

[catmandu57]

32. LIARS, THIEVES, AND GODDAMNED SNEAKS

That's all these sons of bitches are, therer isn't a crumb of honor or decency in the whole damn lot of them. It they aren't lying, they're sneaking somewhere to steal and then lie about the thievery.
I wish deadeye would take these bastards hunting.