Still wasn't greeted as a liberator. Still the biggest mistake of his presidency:
President Bush flew to Iraq on Sunday, a final trip to highlight the recently completed security agreement between Iraq and the United States.The Bush team always loved the drama of pulling off these "surprise" visits to Iraq. The traditional media always fell for it, too. Just like they all fell for the lies that got us into this war in the first place.
Air Force One arrived in Baghdad at 4 p.m. after a 10-and-a-half-hour overnight flight from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington. It was his fourth visit to Iraq, a country that occupied the bulk of his presidency and will to a large extent define his legacy.
On arriving, he met the two senior American officials, Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and Gen. Ray Odierno on the tarmac. He is expected to meet with Iraqi leaders and American troops.
As with previous visits — in November 2003, June 2006 and September 2007 — preparations for the visit were cloaked in secrecy and carried out with ruse. The White House schedule for Sunday had Mr. Bush attending the “Christmas in Washington” performance at the National Building Museum in downtown Washington.
