Posted on 03/16/2008 3:16:58 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar
BAGHDAD (AP) - U.S. officials say Sen. John McCain has arrived in Baghdad for an unannounced visit.
BAGHDAD (AP) - Sen. John McCain, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president who has linked his political future to U.S. success in Iraq, was in Baghdad on Sunday for meetings with Iraqi and U.S. diplomatic and military officials, a U.S. government official said.
Details of McCain’s visit were not being released for security reasons, the U.S. embassy said.
McCain’s visit was not announced and he was believed to have been in the country for several hours before reporters were able to confirm his arrival. It was unclear who he met with and no media opportunities or news conferences were planned.
McCain, a strong supporter of the U.S. military mission in Iraq, is believed to be staying in the country for about 24 hours.
“Senator McCain is in Iraq and will be meeting with Iraqi and U.S. officials,” said Mirembe Nantongo, spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
This is his eighth visit to Iraq. He’s accompanied by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Before leaving McCain said his trip to the Middle East and Europe was a fact-finding venture, not a campaign photo opportunity.
The senator last met with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki last November during the Thanksgiving holiday.
McCain was to meet Sunday with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh. Later in the day, he and Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, were planning to talk. It was also thought McCain would meet with al-Maliki.
“We were informed that John McCain landed in Iraq Sunday morning. A meeting will take place with the Iraqi government,” said Ali al- Moussawi, an official in the Iraqi prime minister’s office.
There were no details immediately available about McCain’s meetings and his schedule for the day apparently remained in flux, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity as the official was not authorized to release the information.
McCain’s weeklong trip also includes stops in Israel, Jordan, Britain and France.
McCain is expected to meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the first time, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy for the third time. He met and corresponded with Sarkozy both before and after the French president was elected. The two last saw each other last summer.
McCain has relationships with every leader in Israel he plans to see, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and hawkish opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ahead of the trip, McCain expressed worries that insurgents might try to influence the November presidential election with increased attacks in Iraq.
“Yes, I worry about it,” he said Friday in Springfield, Pennsylvania. “And I know they pay attention, because of the intercepts we have of their communications.”
McCain told reporters later that al-Qaida remains smart and adaptable despite an increase of U.S. troops in Iraq.
A defiant supporter of the 2003 invasion and President Bush’s troop increase last year, McCain is likely to focus in Iraq on the drop in sectarian violence and U.S. and civilian casualties since last summer.
UPDATE
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8VEG7RO0&show_article=1&catnum=0
Latest story (released at 7:23) says no schedule for meetings, schedule in flux.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=2008-03-16_D8VEG7RO0&show_article=1&cat=breaking
While the “children” bicker here at home, McCain goes to Baghdad.
A: is Tancredo
Q: Isn’t Mexico responsible for providing jobs for its own people? Why are Americans burdened with providing jobs for Mexicans who don’t have them?
A: That’s a good question! It should not be a burden the American people have to bear. I’ll never forget a conversation I had two years ago in Mexico with Juan Hernandez, who headed up the newly created Ministry of Mexicans Living in the United States.
Hernandez is a very interesting fellow, a dual citizen of the United States and Mexico, and a good friend of presidents Bush and [Vicente] Fox [of Mexico]. I asked about the purpose of the government agency he heads, since I had never heard of such a thing.
He said its purpose is to increase the flow of Mexican nationals to the United States. I asked, “Why?”
“It serves Mexico’s needs,” he said, and ticked off a list of such things as remittances to Mexico of $10 billion a year, which is 30 percent of the Mexican GDP [gross domestic product]. It provides employment for an exploding population, it alleviates social instability due to rising unemployment and it provides training for Mexicans, ultimately repatriating those skills back to Mexico.
I responded to his final aim - repatriation of trained and skilled Mexicans back into Mexico - and asked, “Then your government would oppose amnesty for the illegal Mexicans in the United States?”
He cried, “Oh no! We support amnesty totally.”
I replied, “I don’t understand.” I assured him that if amnesty were in effect in the United States, then Mexicans would never return. He then said something riveting: “By populating the United States with millions of Hispanics who are tied economically, politically and linguistically to Mexico, we are able to exert enormous influence and pressure on U.S. policy and its dealings with Mexico.”
Hmm, funny, I thought this thread was about a surprise visit to Iraq, which is in the Mid East, instead of Mexico, which is in N. America. Guess I’ll have to re-read it.
Try to stay on topic here.
Yeah stick with that crap... While Obama taxes you to pay reparations... Get a clue.
If McCain becomes president, he will represent every single Vietnam veteran and name on The Wall. A good reason to put him in the Oval Office.
I think you misunderstood my post. I was responding to #23, where the poster inexplicably brought up Mexico in a discussion of a visit to Iraq.
McCain's horrendous record in just about everything else does not remove him from our scrutiny, and no, we don't drink koolaid.
He has been, is and sadly will remain WRONG on many issues, BUT we can fix some if not all of them.
Nevertheless, the man understands the nature of our enemy and knows that we are in an ongoing fight for our lives. He will not let us down. His own son is actually fighting as a Marine. It is time all who attacked him for so many good reasons acknowledged that he will be the president and we need to support him to give him the McGovern/Mondale type of landslide he is capable of getting.
I did, sorry, that post was for Haddit....
when the US public is asked who they prefer as Commander in Chief....will it be the piaps ~ b. HUSSEIN or john mccain???
mccain ain’t the first choice of many conservatives....but most Americans will sleep better & more secure with him in the White House rather than the other two a-holes!!!!
maybe the msm should poll the troops!!!!
I seem to remember the troops “booing” her as she spoke.
I hope this photo has been seen by our troops. It screams to the attitude of a US Presidential candidate, a possible CiC. How can the military be expected to respect and follow a CiC who displays such disdain for the country he wants to guide?
You got that right. As much as I think McCain is mediocre at best, he won’t screw the troops. Here’s hoping conservatives don’t selfishly screw the troops who give it all for us by allowing the anti-military socialists to take power. In that event we will have slapped the face of every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine who have given their lives fighting for our freedom.
Unannounced?
I knew about it days ago.
Suprised that PravdABDNC aren’t broadcasting his GPS Coordinates and Aircraft Tail Numbers??
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
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