Baghdad VIPs Don't Get the Grand Tour

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - In the last week, four top international figures have made unannounced but highly publicized visits to Baghdad. But they didn't exactly get the grand tour.

Their aircraft landed at Baghdad International Airport, a place ringed by U.S. troops. Then they took a helicopter to the heavily fortified Green Zone, which is only a 15-minute drive away by Humvee.

They did not see the slums of Sadr City, nor the mansions of Mansour, nor the old commercial district around Rashid Street. A tour through the National Museum was out of the question, as would be more traditional stops for politicians, such as orphanages or schools filled with smiling children.

With at least one car bomb and several improvised explosive devices detonating every day in Baghdad, the people of Baghdad only ever see these visitors on television, speaking to leaders they also only know from the media.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051115/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_vip_tour;_

[Frustratedlady]

1. And, what do they actually accomplish?

Using all that fuel and time for nothing more than a photo op, isn't very prudent. At the rate Condi is going, she will have circled the globe several times. Pig Ear and Pickles are also getting in as many countries as they can before their travel account is defunct. I'm surprised they didn't take the piglets along for the ride.

Meow...meow!