Besides making the troops' day, was there any real advantage in visiting Iraq?

[DFW]

I know that for the troops stationed there, it's always cool when the CIC drops in, and for the troops of African origin, it must have been a special thrill--I could see it on their beaming faces in the news photos.

But politically, did it accomplish anything significant? It didn't seem so to me. Iraq is nowhere near stable enough that a sitting POTUS can just go out and meet the people at a publicized, pre-arranged media event like he did in Turkey--the Secret Service would have gone ballistic if he had even suggested that. Obama was quite a hit in Turkey, but then he stayed in relatively cosmopolitain Istanbul. The primitive rural areas of Anatolia are far less hospitable, and no American president ever ventures out there. But at least he was aware of the people he was visiting, and showed sensitivity to the culture and history of his hosts. Bush probably thought "Istanbul" was a Mexican's way of saying that the steer he just saw belonged to a guy named Stan.

[WI_DEM]

1. I really don't care. If he went there to give the troops a look at the new CIC

and let them know that he is committed to ending the Iraqi war, that is fine with me.

[ZombieHorde]

2. Increasing morale at any workplace has advantages.

The U.S. military is no different.

[Bucky]

3. It reminds people at home how incredibly popular his sane foreign policy is

That can't hurt. It's a standard tactic that all presidents use.

[eleny]

4. "making the troops' day" - that ought to be enough

but i thought that i heard he's meeting with the prime minister, as well. :shrug:

[babylonsister]

5. He did, and Odierno. He also got the word out that Iraqis have

to take responsibility for their own country, which the troops 'whooped!' at.

[NatBurner]

25. seriously. when i was a private, a pack of m&m's could make my day

i can't even imagine how much of a boost a visit from the CIC would be

[JoePhilly]

6. Indicates that he will not forget Iraq as Bush forgot Afganistan.

[CJCRANE]

7. "troops of African origin"?!

You might not have noticed but he's admired by people all over the world not just those of "African origin".

[rvablue]

15. And what about those troops of "European origin" -- they seemed like they enjoyed the visit too!

[MADem]

20. And the troops of every shade from KS, IL, and HI...and the ones who went to

Harvard and Columbia...after all, those were all his old stomping grounds...

We can categorize till the cows come home, really! But there's no real need.

[rvablue]

22. I was mocking the categorizing in the OP which was simply laughable. n/t

[MADem]

29. I was offering a few more categories to mock, actually. NT

[ecstatic]

45. And why is it that a visit seems to be diminished if a substantial

portion of the audience is black? Blacks are Americans too, dammit!

[saltpoint]

8. It is an acknowledgement of sacrifice by the President of the United States.

That IS what it accomplished.

[lunatica]

9. Politically it's a very good move. It's about diplomacy

nNot only did he see the troops which is very important to them, but he didn't sneak in under the cover of night with all the running lights out. Of course it was unannounced but still dangerous during daylight. Obama also visited Al Maliki and his administration which is a diplomatically good thing to do. He has to show he cares about the Iraqi government enough to go to Iraq. Part of his mission in Iraq is to help make it as stable as possible. A Head of State visit is just the ticket.

[SpartanDem]

10. Can you imagine

the grumbling from the RW media if he didn't visit? I'd say that's pretty significant, not to mention he got face time with the Iraqi PM and military commanders

[Uzybone]

11. This sounds like a FOX News headline

"troops of African origin"....yeah because only the black troops were "really" happy to see him.

Cant the CinC visit the troops without getting 2nd guessed?

[rvablue]

17. Yes it does. And posts like this are multiplying. It's getting pretty pathetic! n/t

[DFW]

30. Obviously.

And I'm sure the visit was his idea, not that of some adviser who was thinking
of the headlines. I'm just wondering about the benefits outside of our base, although
as I said elsewhere, this is always a plus for those there. I've met Obama a couple of
times, and know how powerful his charisma is. As for Fox, you would know better than I.
We don't get Fox where I live. I hear about them, of course, but I never watch them, or
any other American TV, for that matter, as it isn't available here.

[jenmito]

41. "I'm just wondering about the benefits outside of our base..."

If anything, it should shut up the RWers who've been claiming Obama may have put our troops in DANGER by "criticizing America overseas." He went to Baghdad, putting HIMSELF in danger to show how much he appreciates the troops-of EVERY origin. I saw troops of every color thrilled to be there with him, trying to take his picture, shake his hand, etc.

[Occam Bandage]

12. "Other than curing cancer, is there any real advantage in a cure for cancer?"

[alcibiades_mystery]

36. "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"

Yeesh.

:-)

[denem]

13. To look for a good pair of shoes?

[Parker CA]

14. A creative way of swinging the attention onto Iraq and away from the economy for a few news cycles

which will allow him a bit of breathing room and a generally positive MSM spin on the last stop of his trip.

[rvablue]

18. Yes, I'm sure manipulating the news cycle was his first priority

and it had nothing to do with thanking the brave men and women for the service and sacrifice.

Or to get a face to face with the military commanders to talk strategy and progress.

Or to meet with the Prime Minister and have discussions on Iraqis taking over responsibility so that we can safely and responsibility to get our troops home faster.

Your theory might be true, but it would be a by-product of the trip and not the reason.

Geesh!

[Parker CA]

35. Wow! A Jump to Conclusions mat would be a good purchase for you. Clearly there are many

motivators behind this trip. I chose one. By doing so, I did not even remotely hint that yours or others were unlikely or out of the question. Don't be so quick to charge down a poster's throat based on a simple comment.

[DFW]

21. Agreed about the MSM spin, not about the distraction from the economy

I's sure he was happy not to have to answer questions about it for a few days,
but I'm sure he knows it will be there waiting for him the second he gets home,
and the media will pounce on him the second Air Force One touches the ground,
all cheers and accolades abroad suddenly forgotten as if they had never happened.

I think the MSM had to go along with the good mood of the trip since it was impossible
to deny or ignore, but they're not looking for good news to report--not while a Democrat
is in the White House. It's not in their DNA.

[Parker CA]

37. I would agree, and that's why I speculated that it might shift the attention of a few new cycles.

Perhaps that is a day, two, or three. I don't doubt the economy will be right back as the main course on his table when he returns, I think it should, but my response was a simple answer to the OP's questions, not the end-all be-all reasoning.

[MADem]

16. Well, yeah--he told the government leadership that we were outta there.

He also had a meeting that wasn't "public" you know. The helo to take him off to Iraqi government offices in the GZ was grounded, so the PM came to him.

FWIW, the arrested Syrian guy who was trying to assassinate Obama was in "not so safe" TURKEY. So much for stability, eh? Good thing his Al Jazeera press pass was such a poor forgery.

There's always risk. They mitigate it to the extent that they can.

[lamp_shade]

19. You're dead serious, aren't you?

[DFW]

24. Actually, yes.

The photo ops with our troops and all look good, and THEY got a hell of a charge
out of it, but I have to wonder if meeting briefly with the Iraqi leadership to
reinforce the fact that he really and truly planned for them to take over things,
something he had made quite clear to them already, served any broader purpose.

If so fine. I'm just not convinced it did. I suppose that, as some other posts
pointed out, that if it was good for the morale of our people, then that in itself
was reason enough to go. I'm certainly more for building their morale than for
photo shoots with generals and Iraqi politicians.

[firedupdem]

23. So only the troops of African origin got the biggest thrill? Standing

there telling those troops that Iraq must take care of their own country was the advantage and I'm sure it was appreciated.

[Thrill]

26. Seeing the troops greeting him like that. Is a political Homerun

[acmavm]

27. There was a point all right. To mark his territory as the new CIC. And from

the looks on the faces he met there, he has their loyalty without a doubt.

Now lets get 'em out of there.

[EmilyAnne]

28. He is their Commander in Chief. He should visit them when he can. This was a perfect opportunity.

Maybe it wasn't a political move at all.
Just the right thing to do when so many of these soldiers fear being forgotten by Americans who are oblivious that we are at war.

[gemlake]

31. Strange. I saw troops of every color--

black, white, brown--enthusiastically great their Commander in Chief. The fact that you only saw "troops of African origin" is very revealing. They are all Americans, whether you like it or not.

[dionysus]

32. the most bizarre poutrage i have seen in months....

:rofl:

[stillcool]

33. oh you gave yourself away...

with that "African origin". Take another look at the American troops in the photo's. Those faces are American faces. I pity you.

[Thrill]

34. I saw that too and was like WTF??

[rasputin1952]

38. Let me say this about his trip to Iraq...

For one thing, it is always a boost to morale when the CiC is in the neighborhood, especially when it is somewhat "informal".

I would suppose though, there is more than that to this visit. The president can talk w/Commanders locally and he can see and hear what is happening in the area. From a military standpoint, this is an exceptionally good idea.

This was more than a photo-op, this was a visit to get what is going on, a real feel for the situation in Iraq

As for the troops, these men and women are counting on the president to get them home relatively quickly...no wonder they are happy to see him.

i'm glad he didn't have an iodine soaked turkey on a platter, a la bush. It looks like the troops really like this man, and that means a LOT in the military.

:patriot:

[Hippo_Tron]

50. Agreed, you can't get the full picture until you talk to the people on the ground

[JTFrog]

39. Polly want a cracker?

I see Limbaugh and Beck are giving you the "special thrill".

:puke:

[dionysus]

40. translation of the OP; udder den satifyin dem kneegroe soldja's whud he do?

[quickesst]

42. Some of the repliers to your thread....

...need to re-read your op several more times. Comprehension can be useful when forming an opinion. Thanks.
quickesst

[namahage]

48. Yup. Thanks for suggesting it.

I was so :wtf: about the "African origin" statement that, had I not re-read, I might've missed this little linguistic gem:

Bush probably thought "Istanbul" was a Mexican's way of saying that the steer he just saw belonged to a guy named Stan.

That says quite a bit.

[Jennicut]

43. Politically is accomplished Obama seeming to care about the troops

and showing them respect while at the same time breaking from Bush's stupid idiotic ideas about the mid east.

[ecstatic]

44. uggh. Try again!

"troops of African origin"

So you're hinting that only the troops who were born in Africa were glad to see President Obama? You should have just kept things simple and said "black troops" but now you look like an ass. :eyes:

[Number23]

46. You COMPLETELY lost me at "troops of African origin"

As far as I know, Africa has not contributed any soldiers to the war in Iraq so I don't even know what the hell you were even TRYING to say...

[MadBadger]

47. Must You People Criticize EVERYTHING???

[SeattleGirl]

49. "....troops of African origin.,.." Hello?

WTF are you talking about?

Are you insinuating that ONLY black soldiers would be thrilled to see Obama?

The hell?

As to your second paragraph, maybe part of the reason for Obama's trip was political, but so the fuck what? These men and women are there, doing something I confess I never had the courage to do (putting myself in a war zone), and I think it's good that the person who is their Commander in Chief gave enough of a fuck to go see them.

[Undercurrent]

51. To tell

al-Maliki that he and the Iraqi's need be responsible, and run their own country.



Getty Images 16 hours ago
US President Barack Obama (L) watches as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks during a visit to Camp Victory, just outside Baghdad, on April 7, 2009.

[JeffR]

52. Only if it reminded him that these troops need to be brought home.

Sharply.

[DFW]

53. That is probably the best response I got.

Thanks for the reasoned reply.

[Bonobo]

54. "Troops of African Origin"!! DUZY RECS PLEASE!!!!111!!!

[mwb970]

55. What a dumb post.

Did you want him to not visit the troops? What would you have posted in that case?

:eyes: