Bush Visit Criticised

It is very disappointing that some are criticizing President Bush’s Thanksgiving Day trip to visit the troops in Iraq.

The description in the Chicago Sun-Times was typical of most of the press coverage, calling President Bush’s Thanksgiving Day visit to troops in Iraq audacious.

A lot of words are being used to describe President Bush's surprise trip to the Iraqi war zone. "Shock and awe" was the cliche immediately employed when the visit was revealed. But the word we think best sums it up is audacious, one encompassing the daring, inventive, unconventional and, yes, fearless nature of Bush's gesture.

It's hard for the Bush detractors to swallow, but the man has a visceral connection with military personnel. They genuinely like him, and he returns the favor. Even his opening line, one worthy of Bob Hope -- "I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere," -- hit just the right note in a way perhaps hard to explain intellectually but perfectly comprehensible at a gut level. His assertion that he and the troops share an oath to protect America resonated with the assembled men and women.

The Adam Nagourney article in the New York Times views the trip as nothing more than an attempt to gain political advantage. Nagourney reports these negative quotes from three of the democratic presidential candidates. A spokesman for Howard Dean said:

"It's nice that he made it over there today, but this visit won't change the fact that those brave men and women should never have been fighting in Iraq in the first place."

Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts issued a statement saying that the trip was

"the right thing to do for our country." But, he added: "When Thanksgiving is over, I hope the president will take the time to correct his failed policy in Iraq that has placed our soldiers in a shooting gallery."

An adviser to Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, described the visit as a "daring move and great politics," but added:

"I think these kids need more. I'm sure they were buoyed by his coming, but they need more."

This Laura MacInnis article, published by Reuters calls the trip “Thanksgiving political theater.”

The reaction of the troops is all I need to convince me that the trip was a fine tribute to the troops from their commander in chief.

Even those who say they are not fans of President Bush, such as Ed Thibodeau of Nonplussed, were “totally impressed” by The Presidents’s "totally cool" surprise Thanksgiving visit to Baghdad.