Another "surprise visit" by Condi. Is this a Bushie innovation?

[gulliver]

It seems like a week doesn't go by now without one of the Bushies paying a "surprise visit" somewhere in the Middle East. I don't remember this happening all the time under Clinton. Did Clinton every pay any "surprise visits" himself like Bush did in Iraq a couple of Thanksgivings ago? I don't think so.

It's galling because what it really says is that the security situation in the Middle East makes a planned visit risky, but the surprise visit makes the event newsworthy. Clinton would have had trouble getting much coverage of Albright in Israel (when it was far more peaceful than under Bush), but Bush gets big coverage of Rice dashing in for a quick photo and then back out before the bombs start to go off.

Visit.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/22/AR2005072200281.html

On edit: Bombs go off "hours" later in Beirut.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/07/22/lebanon.explosion/index.html

[rodeodance]

1. all surprize visits are for security reasons (someone might try to

blow them up if preplans know)-so says the white house.

[Spinzonner]

2. She's a "Diplomatic Crasher"

[Poiuyt]

3. Clinton was generally greeting with flowers and cheering crowds

Bush and his people need to sneak around under the cloak of darkness like the weasles of the night.

[Jacobin]

4. They have to sneak around because the receptions they get ain't good

[wli]

5. well, it speaks to their popularity

Clinton visits, he's greeted like a rockstar.

Condi visits, and she's greeted with mass protests and suicide bombers.

I don't even want to think what would happen if the Shrub set foot in the Middle East.

[jayctravis]

6. "Surprise Visit" keeps making me picture

secret service wheeling in a giant cake.

Surprise! It's Secretery of State Condoleeza Rice!

Sorry about the frosting...