President Bush and U.S. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez (left) react
during the president's secret visit to Iraq. AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, Pool
Posted on 11/28/2003 2:25:17 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The surprise visit by President Bush to Baghdad on Thursday gave a morale boost to beleaguered troops and provided some Thanksgiving political theater for Americans at home, policy experts said.
By spending the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday with soldiers in Iraq, instead of in Texas with his family as was first announced, political scientists said Bush aimed to show the White House was undeterred by mounting U.S. casualties and guerrilla violence that have marred the post-war occupation.
"He must be serious about being willing to stay the course," said Byron Shafer, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"This is sort of symbolic theater to say: 'Yes, I am committed. This is a representation of my personal commitment. How much more committed to do you want me to be? I took my holiday and spent it with the troops in Baghdad," he said.
The president's bold visit to the battle zone was kept under wraps until after Bush was already on his way back to the United States on the presidential plane, Air Force One.
News of the clandestine trip splashed across U.S. network television at mid-day, just after the conclusion of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade broadcast from New York.
Thanksgiving is one of the most cherished holidays in the United States, traditionally celebrated with a turkey dinner shared among family and friends who "give thanks" for their blessings and good fortune.
POLITICAL FODDER?
Bush's risky trip could blunt criticism that had been growing of Bush for apparently showing too little concern for U.S. troops in Iraq by failing to attend any funerals of servicemen killed in action.
With mounting casualties becoming a potential political liability for a president seeking reelection, Bush visited families of dead soldiers this month ahead of the trip.
University of Texas Government Professor Bruce Buchanan said images of Bush's 2-1/2 hour visit in Baghdad would likely be a boon to his popularity at home, which has been dented by Iraq.
"That will play very well on television today, it will be a bounce for him politically in the short-run," Buchanan said.
"Surely there will be Democrats who will say that this was a photo-op and campaign related," he said. "(But) the unexpectedness of this, the element of risk associated with it, the surprise factor will generate a positive impact at least in the short run."
On May 1, Bush landed a jet on aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to declare the end of major combat in Iraq, drawing fire from some critics who later decried the move as a cavalier publicity stunt.
Nearly seven months later, Bush's flight into Baghdad was dangerous because of increasingly brazen insurgent attacks.
Last month, guerrillas fired a barrage of rockets into a Baghdad hotel where Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was staying. They have downed several U.S. helicopters with ground fire and, this month, they hit a plane over the city with a missile forcing an emergency landing.
Analysts said Bush's trip to Iraq should not be considered in the same vein as his aircraft carrier stunt.
"There was a serious element of risk so it's more difficult to trivialize or dismiss as mere showmanship," Buchanan said. "If they can take down a helicopter with a shoulder-fired missile, they could take down Air Force One."
Shirley Anne Warshaw, a professor of political science at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, said she believed the president's visit to Iraq reflected a new approach by the Bush White House.
"I think it shows that he is willing to stand up and be counted for something that he believes in. He has become personally involved now in this loss of life," Warshaw said.
"I don't think you will see this in the campaign literature. I don't think it's a political move."
Thank you. I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere. Thank you for inviting me to dinner. General Sanchez, thank you, sir, for your kind invitation and your strong leadership. Ambassador Bremer, thank you for your steadfast belief in freedom and peace. I want to thank the members of the Governing Council who are here, pleased you are joining us on our nation's great holiday, it's a chance to give thanks to the Almighty for the many blessings we receive.
I'm particularly proud to be with the 1st Armored Division, the 2nd ACR, the 82nd Airborne. I can't think of a finer group of folks to have Thanksgiving dinner with than you all. We're proud of you. Today, Americans are gathering with their loved ones to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. And this year we are especially thankful for the courage and the sacrifice of those who defend us, the men and women of the United States military.
I bring a message on behalf of America: We thank you for your service, we're proud of you, and America stands solidly behind you. Together, you and I have taken an oath to defend our country. You're honoring that oath. The United States military is doing a fantastic job. You are defeating the terrorists here in Iraq, so that we don't have to face them in our own country. You're defeating Saddam's henchmen, so that the people of Iraq can live in peace and freedom.
By helping the Iraqi people become free, you're helping change a troubled and violent part of the world. By helping to build a peaceful and democratic country in the heart of the Middle East, you are defending the American people from danger and we are grateful.
You're engaged in a difficult mission. Those who attack our coalition forces and kill innocent Iraqis are testing our will. They hope we will run. We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost in casualties, defeat a brutal dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins.
We will prevail. We will win because our cause is just. We will win because we will stay on the offensive. And we will win because you're part of the finest military ever assembled. And we will prevail because the Iraqis want their freedom.
Every day you see firsthand the commitment to sacrifice that the Iraqi people are making to secure their own freedom. I have a message for the Iraqi people: You have an opportunity to seize the moment and rebuild your great country, based on human dignity and freedom. The regime of Saddam Hussein is gone forever.
The United States and our coalition will help you, help you build a peaceful country so that your children can have a bright future. We'll help you find and bring to justice the people who terrorized you for years and are still killing innocent Iraqis. We will stay until the job is done. I'm confident we will succeed, because you, the Iraqi people, will show the world that you're not only courageous, but that you can govern yourself wisely and justly.
On this Thanksgiving, our nation remembers the men and women of our military, your friends and comrades who paid the ultimate price for our security and freedom. We ask for God's blessings on their families, their loved ones and their friends, and we pray for your safety and your strength, as you continue to defend America and to spread freedom.
Each one of you has answered a great call, participating in an historic moment in world history. You live by a code of honor, of service to your nation, with the safety and the security of your fellow citizens. Our military is full of the finest people on the face of the earth. I'm proud to be your commander in chief. I bring greetings from America. May God bless you all.
Risky? A real man won't send anyone to do something he won't do himself. That is basic command theory. Besides common decency.
Bump!
Apparently he was/is a Professor of American Government at Nuffield College, Oxford, and once edited a collection of essays that was originally presented as a series of public lectures there.
But that collection of essays dealt with the results of the 2000 presidential election. It punted on its analysis thereof by attributing the results to "a persistent American cultural divide" (or, "it has ever been thus in America").
I guess an answer to your question might be: "Shafer once taught a course on American politics at Oxford that the author of this article liked."
An expert is someone who lives out of town and has slides.
Correction: Any liberal academia egghead who bashes conservatives is considered a "policy expert".
If they do not toe the liberal line, they are useless to the mainstream press.
Stunt? The analists still don't get it.
Hmm.
Even the reuter's hit piece got it right....
And had it been Clinton then we on our side would have been writing it off as a stunt meant for political purposes only, jusct Clinton using the troops for his own advantage to try and deflect criticizm of his Iraq policies. Which is pretty much what the Democrats are saying. So where is the surprise?
No left wing bias in that headline...
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