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President Bush Heroically Flys Into Iraq For Thanksgiving

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Real American:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast...main/index.html


Bush pays surprise visit to U.S. troops in Iraq


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- President Bush made a Thanksgiving Day visit to Baghdad, appearing before delighted soldiers taken completely by surprise.

After appearing before some U.S. troops in Baghdad and the Iraqi Governing Council, Bush left Baghdad at about 8 p.m. Iraq time, or noon EST. Air Force One stayed on the ground for just two-and-a-half hours, the White House said.

News of the trip was not released until the president's plane was airborne and headed back to the United States, The Associated Press reported.

"You are defending the American people from danger and we are grateful," Bush told some 600 soldiers, cheering his appearance.

Bush slipped away from his Texas ranch Wednesday night at 8:25 EST, flew in and out of Andrews Air Force Base and landed in Baghdad Thursday morning at 9:31 a.m. EST, according to reporters traveling with the president.

The troops, mostly from the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division and the 82nd Airborne, had no idea Bush would be there.

Without mentioning first that the commander-in-chief was waiting in the wings, Iraq's U.S. civil administrator L. Paul Bremer told the soldiers he wanted the most senior person in the room to read the president's Thanksgiving proclamation and asked who was there to do it.

Then Bush emerged, misty-eyed and wearing a U.S. Army exercise jacket. As soon as the soldiers spotted him, the room erupted in cheers. He told them he had arrived for a warm meal.

"I can't think of a finer group of folks to have dinner with," he told the troops.

Bush told soldiers and officials of the Iraqi people that they have an opportunity to seize the chance for freedom and democracy, and said, "We will stay until the job is done."

Bush said that the insurgents are testing the United States' will, hoping it will run. "We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost of casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins," he said, prompting cheers and a standing ovation.

After the speech, Bush stood in a line for food and spooned out sweet potatoes and corn for the holiday dinner.

The White House told reporters he planned to spend part of his Thanksgiving day calling U.S. troops around the world to thank them for their service, and then host family and friends at their 1,600-acre Texas ranch for the holiday. The president's daughters and parents, George H. W. and Barbara Bush, were to be among the guests.

Iraqis meet to discuss transition plan
Also Thursday, the head of the Iraqi Governing Council met Thursday with a top Shiite leader to discuss the cleric's disagreement with the latest plan to transfer sovereignty from the U.S.-led coalition to the Iraqis.

Jalal Talabani, the council head, met in Najaf with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who complained about loopholes in the plan, focusing on what he called the lack of grass-roots Iraqi voter participation and the lack of Islamic influence in the constitution.

The transition plan -- announced earlier this month by the coalition-picked Governing Council -- calls for regional caucuses to pick a national assembly by the end of May.

The assembly is to choose a transitional government by the end of June. Sovereignty would be transferred from the coalition to Iraqis in July. The constitution would be written and democratic elections would be held by the end of 2005.

Sistani's views are important since Shiites represent 60 percent of Iraq's population, and his objections could thwart efforts to gain widespread support for transitional plans.

The discussions came as the U.S.-led coalition and the council try to restore stability in the face of daily guerrilla attacks and credibility to the U.S.-led efforts at nation-building.

U.S. trucks hit bomb, no injuries
Also Thursday, a roadside bomb Thursday hit three trucks affiliated with the U.S. military as they traveled on the western outskirts of Baghdad, sources within the Coalition Provisional Authority told CNN. There were no injuries.

The homemade bomb exploded at about 10:15 a.m. (2:15 a.m. ET) in Abu Ghraib. Two contractor trucks and a military truck were engulfed in flames, causing authorities to temporarily close Highway 3

Late Wednesday, a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Italian Embassy in Baghdad, causing minor damage to the building's second floor, according to Italian officials.

No one was inside the building at the time of the attack, which happened around 11:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. ET).

Earlier this month, Italy's military police headquarters in southern Iraq was targeted by a vehicle bomb. Nineteen Italians and nine Iraqis were killed in the November 12 attack in Nasiriya.

The attack was the deadliest against Italian military personnel since World War II and came as a shock to the nation. Italy's government has vowed to keep its troops in Iraq to help in reconstruction efforts.

Last Friday, insurgents launched a series of rocket attacks on coalition-linked targets in Baghdad, hitting the Iraqi Oil Ministry and two hotels housing Western journalists and contractors. Two people were wounded.

Troops and their families and employers, meanwhile, will soon find out if they will be affected by the Pentagon's latest mobilization of 17,000 reservists for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In addition those mobilized Wednesday, nearly 8,000 reservists have been alerted for deployment to Iraq and around 700 for deployment to Afghanistan.

The announcements affect Army and Air Force National Guard and Reserves as well as Navy and Marine Corps Reserves. (Full story)

CNN's Jane Arraf, Walter Rodgers, Alphonso Van Marsh, Barbara Starr, and Dana Bash contributed to this report.
 

Don Seer:
good for morale :)

Metaforikal:
He should be apologizing to the soldiers for sending them into such a bullshit and money-influenced war. Then he should thank them for making his friends and family a lot richer.

Woodrow:
Didn't see that one coming!

Like or don't like him, You gotta admit that took some stones.

JTSimon:

--- Quote from: Metaforikal on November 27, 2003, 01:17:02 PM ---He should be apologizing to the soldiers for sending them into such a bullshit and money-influenced war. Then he should thank them for making his friends and family a lot richer.

--- End quote ---

 ;)

George W. Bush is still pussy sneaking in Baghdad during night fall ;D

How did it take stones? No one knew he was going = no risk, and don't give me shit about 1 cargo plane struck by an rpg...Bush's plane probably had a million anti-rpg flares sent out as he was landing ;D

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