BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Tuesday and dropped in on the volatile northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, a U.S. Embassy spokesman in Baghdad confirmed.
How long does it take before we stop calling them “surprise visits to Iraq”? At some point, if your Secretary of State has to sneak into the country just to check up on things, the “surprise” is more about the lack of security in Iraq and less about a fun winter visit to Mesopotamia.
[UPDATE]
A fun search to do.
Golly, gee! That’s a lot of surprises! One of these days I’d like to see our diplomats visit the sandy shithole place where all this success is happening without the flak helmets and evasive maneuvers.
Besides, when is the last time Condi has paid a “surprise” visit to someplace like Canada?
But Will, can’t you see we’re making progress in Iraq?
And wasn’t it the Kurdish area that was the model of Democracy and stability not too long ago?
Will…
Why don’t you go to Iraq all by yourself after a publicity blitz announcing your arrival, where you’ll be, and that you won’t be taking any steps to safeguard your security?
Then write and tell us the results.
To claim that “surprise visits” by Conde Rice testify to a lack of security in Iraq is disingenuous; Secretaries of State have in the past, do in the present, and will continue in the future to make such visits to places all over the world.
How dog-bites-man is that?
Iraq is still a war zone. You, like, want her visit announced on the big screen with engraved invitations to every assasin and junior-Jihad type to show up with a homemade IED? If that isn’t community college thinking, then I don’t know what is.
The Piper
Piper wants to have his cake and eat it, too.
@2:
Piper: Are you admitting the surge has not worked and that Iraq is still a dangerous place in the midst of a civil war?
It has been over 90 days – where is the political reconciliation in Iraq?
Oh wait – I’ll answer that – there hasn’t been any political progress, and as General Petreus said – the surge is just there to give a window to allow for political progress – without the political progress the military initiative is worthless.
It is time to get out of Iraq. the terrorist are just biding their time – meanwhile, in Afghanistan – things are getting worse and the resurgent Taliban control whole areas of the country.
Piper is right, and wrong. Of course officials make “surprise” visits to all sorts of places. Bush could make a “surprise” visit to Seattle. But Piper is being disingenuous when claiming this doesn’t mean something in Iraq. ALL visits to Iraq are surprises. They’ll never advertise it ahead of time like they will for Germany, Brazil or Turkey even. And Piper is ignoring the fact that you have to stay in ONE military base (green zone), have to wear armor and fly in with ‘evasive maneuvers’ to avoid being shot down, and keep the lights down at night even at your base to avoid being shelled.
At SOME point, if Iraq isn’t a total failure, you should be able to just announce a trip, fly into a regular airport (which has regular scheduled airline flights by commercial airlines), and simply drive (in a limo with bullet proof glass like any dignitary) down a normal highway to a hotel in the city. NONE of that can happen now, like you would in Turkey, Israel, even Jordon and Iran. There is no real airport. You can’t drive down any road (even the ONE road we’ve been trying to secure for 5 years to the airport) without and armored convoy and overhead air support…there is no “city” to go to (not safe), no downtown hotel to stay at (even if your security detail takes an entire floor). You just hunker down in a big military base.
Well, coinciding with this visit from Condi is the Turkish bombing raids on the Kurdish regions of northern Iraq that were conducted with aid and assistance from the United States, and was revealed to the Iraqi government when they got the news of the bombs falling and people dying. Now the Turks are openly boasting of the help they got from the US to conduct this incursion, that blatantly offends Iraqi sovereignty and infuriated the government we installed and propped up. Wow. What a strange world the world of W is.
This does suggest an obvious way to fix our Iraqi problem. Why not withdraw to the borders, then invade again and throw out the current regime? After all, they are our real problem. Hey, Paul Wolfolwitz needs a job, and I wonder where Chalabi is? If he’s not in jail somewhre, he’s available, too.
Why didn’t we do this a couple years ago, when we knew this Shia dominated government was a problem for us, and was going to gravitate towards Iran?
Of course, don’t blame the administration or any of their flunkies for the abysmal state of affairs in Iraq. How could Condi or anyone else have anticipated this might happen? Well, I suppose maybe they could have consulted with someone who knew something about Iraq- or even just read their own real reports from the state department and noted experts that warned of the pandora’s box that would be opened when Iraq was “liberated.” But lets not be picky.
Where are those flowers and parades we were promised? Maybe we can get them after a second invasion. And the Turks are ready to help us.
-Tom
Hey Tom! Welcome to HorsesAss! There are plenty of unpatriotic, anti-American, fascist trolls here, so help yourself! Plenty to go around.
How long does it take before we stop calling them “surprise visits to Iraq”? At some point, if your Secretary of State has to sneak into the country just to check up on things, the “surprise” is more about the lack of security in Iraq and less about a fun winter visit to Mesopotamia.
Will the times I spent visiting the desert was never anounced, you don’t spoil all the fun when you appear out of nowhere.Now if you announce when you will visit, I’m sure we can arange a visit we can arange a suprise for you. But tell me everything is so safe here at home we don’t need all those police officers in Seattle.Yes you far left chaps lost all your common sence right?
correctnotright – 4
It has been over 90 days – where is the political reconciliation in the US Congress?
Nothing but missed benchmarks…..
Roger Rabbit – 7
“There are plenty of unpatriotic, anti-American, fascist trolls here, so help yourself!”
The best description of the bloggers and regular HA “experts” I have seen.
Will did the embassy spokesman say “volatile” or was that the standard “Clinton News Network” (Kos’ words himself) injected phraseology?
Of course Daniel K is one of those malleable minded idiots I write about on HorsesASSHoles!
Whatever: When Osama makes his “surprise” visit what will you be doing?
Stillincorrectneverright:
Here is actionable evidence of your Taliban heroes:
“KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 12 (UPI) — U.S. forces penetrating areas in Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban are struggling to treat children deprived of basic medical care, a report says.
Since 2001, international groups that worked in those areas have moved out. The Taliban has barred foreign agencies from coming in, The New York Times said.
“The Taliban has made it abundantly clear that no outside doctors, no outside medical help, can work in this district,” Capt. Christopher DeMure of the 508th Parachute Infantry’s 2nd Battalion said.
The U.S. military hopes to bring security, medical care and education to the region, fighting the Taliban by giving the people a better life.”
Fair use claws and copyleft to the URL holder below:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/T.....area/9018/
Why don’t you make an announced visit to Afghanistan and “reason” with your Talibanic brothers why they hate children?
And something else ignored by justincorrectnotobright:
Like the Australian pictures of Hezbollah removing their kijab and blending back into the general populace, you ignore the fact the Taliban do the same thing when Coalition forces enter an area. Unless there are house to house searches for weapons caches or the chemical hand inspections of the men for gunpower residue, it’s very hard to determine which are Taliban and which are not.
But I have a suggestion. Why don’t you make an announced visit to Afghanistan and “reason” with your Talibanic brothers why they hate Buddha and hide their weapons?
BTW justincorrectnotobright: Do they have second amendment rights?