[NYTr] A symbolic visit cloaked in secrecy

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

The Independent - Sep 4, 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2924386.ece


A symbolic visit cloaked in secrecy

By David Usborne in New York

It was a visit designed to attract maximum publicity -- but cloaked in
secrecy. President George Bush slipped out of the White House via a
side door after dark to catch his secret flight on Sunday night.

On the Labor Day public holiday in the United States, Mr Bush was
accompanied on his third trip to Iraq by Defence Secretary Robert Gates
and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He sped to Andrews air force
base guarded by a single car, rather than his usual motorcade. In Iraq,
he met his military commanders, including General David Petraeus, as
well as the US Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. He also held talks
with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.

The carefully choreographed visit to Iraq comes as Mr Bush deals with
rising pressure even from Democrats and a few members of his party to
begin setting a timetable for drawing down American troop levels in
Iraq. By bringing Al-Maliki, who is Shi'ite, into Sunni-dominated Anbar
province he was also trying to demonstrate the heavily criticised
leader's ability to reach across the sectarian divide.

The White House was braced for criticism that the visit was merely an
extravagant gimmick to bolster the President's ahead of a showdown with
Congress on troop levels.

He was confined to the air base for the duration of his time in Iraq.
"There are some people who might try to deride this trip as a photo
opportunity," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said. "We
wholeheartedly disagree."

Next week, both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker must testify
before Congress on troop levels. A detailed report from the
administration on progress on Iraq, both in terms of security and
political reconciliation, is due before Congress by a deadline of 15
September. The lack of headway by the government of Al-Maliki on
political reconciliation has spurred particular frustration in
Washington.

Shortly after alighting from Air Force One the president said: "I urge
members of both parties in Congress to listen to what they have to say,
Congress shouldn't jump to conclusions until the general and the
ambassador report."

In a warning shot to politicians at home, Mr Bush, who later left Iraq
bound for an economic summit of Southeast Asian and Pacific leaders in
Australia, signalled he would not be rushed into a decision on troop
withdrawals. He told marines his next steps "will be based on a calm
assessment by our military commanders on the conditions on the ground
-- not a nervous reaction by Washington politicians to poll results in
the media".