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via translation - ALERT - Condoleezza Rice arrives in Baghdad BAGHDAD - The U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has arrived in Baghdad Thursday to meet with Iraqi officials when the negotiations on the future of the American military presence in this country are parking in their final phase, according to an AFP journalist .

This edition features mentoring Iraqi Policeman and an Iraqi Army exercise.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, June 9, 2008 – First Lady Laura Bush visited troops here yesterday during a brief stop on her third trip to Afghanistan, giving words of praise and encouragement to servicemembers for their efforts and results. First Lady Laura Bush visits servicemembers at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, to thank them for their efforts, June 8, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christina Sinders  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “From overseeing hospitals to responding to [improvised explosive devices], your efforts are critical to our mission in Afghanistan,” Bush said. “On behalf of President Bush and a...

First lady Laura Bush, on a mission to highlight signs of rebirth in war-weary Afghanistan, ventured outside of Kabul on Sunday to an area that symbolizes both the destruction of war and Afghanistan's attempt at rebirth. Mrs. Bush, on her third unannounced visit to the country, flew into the Afghan capital then immediately boarded a helicopter for a 50-minute flight to Bamiyan Province, the farthest she has traveled from Kabul. Her chopper touched down in a dusty field at a provincial reconstruction team compound operated by New Zealand. From there she could see the empty niches in a cliffside where...

Bamiyan, Afghanistan -- Urging the world to "stand more strongly with Afghanistan," First Lady Laura Bush visited remote Bamiyan province, where the Taliban regime prompted international outrage by destroying two giant Buddhist statues in 2001. "We have seen a resurgence of Taliban and Al Qaeda killings and kidnappings in Afghanistan," Mrs. Bush told ABC News in an exclusive interview aboard the Air Force jet she flew from Washington to Afghanistan: "I don't want people to think it means we need to give up. I think it just means we really need to stand more strongly with Afghanistan." Mrs. Bush has...

via translation - ALERT - Laura Bush arrives for a surprise visit to Afghanistan KABUL - The wife of the president of USA, Laura Bush, arrived in Kabul Sunday for a one-day visit to Afghanistan, where she must meet with President Hamid Karzai, has been a photographer traveling with AFP she.

The arrival of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who came to Baghdad on Saturday with a congressional delegation, set off a now-familiar cycle of reaction in the Iraqi capital. First there was buzz around the city about flight delays from Baghdad International Airport, which goes into lockdown when VIPs land or takeoff. Since no dust storms were grounding flights, anyone traveling could have assumed some American bigwig was heading in. But when local TV reported the visitor was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, there was a collective shrug of the kind you might expect from Republicans catching a glimpse of her somewhere...

BAGHDAD - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised the Iraqi government Sunday for government-led assaults on radical militias, as the top U.S. diplomat made a surprise visit to Baghdad in a show of support for the country's leaders. Rice's brief heavily guarded stop was not announced in advance, in keeping with security precautions adopted by all top U.S. officials who remain targets of the anti-American insurgents five years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein.Rice met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, his Kurdish president and other top officials. She was also honoring Americans killed...

Senator John McCain, of Arizona; Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division; and Senator Joseph Lieberman, of Connecticut, check out a fruit stand in the marketplace in Iskandariyah, Iraq, March 17. Senators Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, McCain and Lieberman were in Iraq to meet with Iraqi leaders and senior U.S. military officials. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Tami Hillis, 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO. JOINT SECURITY STATION ISKAN — A congressional delegation consisting of Senators John McCain, of Arizona; Joseph Lieberman, of Connecticut; and Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, visited Iskandariyah, Iraq, March 17 where...

@import url(http://www.blogger.com/css/navbar/classic.css); div.b-mobile {display:none;} <body> THE TENSION Veritas vincit Monday, March 17, 2008 Combat Camera: Senator John McCain on Deck, Surveys Iraq Progress Arizona Republican Senator John McCain greets local businessmen as he walks through the streets of Haditha City, Iraq. McCain visited Iraq to view the progress that has been made by the Iraqi people and coalition forces. (Photo/Cpl. Shawn Coolman) The Provincial Governor of Ramadi, Ma’Moun Sami Rashid, and Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, tour through Haditha City, Iraq. Rashid and McCain toured the local area to view the progress that has been made. Rashid has worked extensively...

BAGHDAD (AP) - Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee 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, which had been anticipated, were not being released for security reasons, the U.S. Embassy said. It was unclear who he met with; 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...

JERUSALEM — Senator John McCain’s trip overseas was supposed to highlight his foreign policy acumen, and his supporters hoped that it would showcase him as a statesman, allowing him to meet with world leaders as the Democrats squabble. But all did not go according to plan on Tuesday in Amman, Jordan, when Mr. McCain, fresh from a visit to Iraq, misidentified some of the key players in the Iraq war. Mr. McCain said several times during his visit to Jordan – during a news conference and a radio interview — that he was concerned that Iran was training Al Qaeda...

Here is the full interview of Sen. John McCain with reporter John King from Iraq on March 17, 2008, where McCain was visiting as a part of a Congressional Delegation. McCain talks about the remarkable progress of the "Surge" Strategy, and why it is vitally important for the United States to press on to victory in Iraq. . .

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2008 – The United States must continue operations in Iraq until the job is done, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said today in Baghdad. “I think given the enormous effort that's been made and the sacrifices that have been made -- both in terms of lives and national treasure -- to succeeding in Iraq, it's very, very important that we succeed,” he said, “(and) that we not quit before the job is done. “We need to remember that our objective here is victory and that we need to be prepared to do whatever it takes in...

BAGHDAD — Sen. John McCain stressed the importance of a U.S. commitment to Iraq during talks with Iraq's prime minister Monday, and explosions struck Baghdad during twin visits by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and Vice President Dick Cheney. Helicopter gunships circled over central Baghdad and the heavily fortified Green Zone, but no details were immediately available on the cause of the explosions. McCain, who has linked his political future to U.S. military success in Iraq, met Monday with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shortly before the Iraqi leader began separate talks with Cheney. Al-Maliki said he and the vice president...

via translation - BAGHDAD - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney arrived Monday for a surprise visit to Iraq to emphasize improvements in the security situation on the ground and to promote political progress on the eve of the 5th anniversary of the outbreak of war in Iraq, has been a correspondent for the AFP. Cheney was to meet with the head of American troops in Iraq, Major General David Petraeus, and the American ambassador, Ryan Crocker, as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials. The visit was not announced and surrounded by security conditions exceptional happens while Mr....

Hillary Clinton's White House campaign lashed out Sunday after a report said rival Barack Obama was preparing a "full assault" on her after unloading some embarrassments to his own campaign.The feuding over the report in the Democrat's hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, came as Republican nominee-elect John McCain polished his national security credentials on a surprise trip to Iraq."It is disappointing that a campaign that began by promising a politics of hope has come to this, that it is signalling and revelling in attacks on Senator Clinton's character," her communications director Howard Wolfson said."This is not the campaign they promised...

BAGHDAD (AP) - Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee 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, which had been anticipated, were not being released for security reasons, the U.S. Embassy said. It was unclear who he met with; 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...

BAGHDAD — Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee 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, which had been anticipated, were not being released for security reasons, the U.S. Embassy said. It was unclear who he met with; 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...

BAGHDAD (AP) - U.S. officials say Sen. John McCain has arrived in Baghdad for an unannounced visit.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2008 – The fight in Afghanistan is important for the future of the Afghan people, the NATO countries involved in the fight, the United States, and the rest of the world, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today during a visit to Afghanistan. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks with a U.S. Army soldier at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 7, 2008. Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Steven Parks, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Rice spoke to NATO troops at Kandahar Airfield with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. She thanked the troops for helping turn Afghanistan...

Excerpt - KABUL, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband arrived in Kabul on Thursday for an unannounced visit to Afghanistan. ~ snip ~

Spec. Mario Campa gets a crushing hug from his stepdaughter Cheyenne Tripp after surprising her by walking into her fourth-grade class at North Elementary School. Campa's surprise visit came shortly after arriving home on a two-week vacation from his service tour in Iraq. . HOLTS SUMMIT, Missouri. -- The North School classroom was full of electricity. After all, they were talking about electric conductors and insulators, when fourth grader Cheyenne Tripp saw the man in military uniform step through the door. She bolted out of her chair and cried “Poppy!” as she ran to and hugged her stepfather -...

I know Bush has visited Iraq at least twice. When was it that he surprised the troops at a dinner and walked on stage. Whom ever introduced him asked for a senior member of the administration to deliver the message and President Bush walked on stage. I thought it was a great moment and have been looking for it on You Tube. Thanks

Schumer Spends New Year's Eve With Troops in Iraq NEW YORK (AP) ― New Year's Eve saw New York's senior senator, Democrat Charles Schumer, a long way from his usual stomping grounds in Washington and his home turf of Brooklyn: visiting U.S. soldiers in Iraq. In his first visit to Iraq, Schumer said he spent Monday with troops hailing from every corner of New York state -- from Buffalo to Albany, and from the five boroughs of New York City to Long Island. His intent, he said, was to make sure they knew how much their service was appreciated. "I...

<p>In a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Saturday, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France said France might increase its troop presence in the country to help defeat the Taliban-led insurgency.</p> <p>“There is a war going on here — a war against terrorism, against fanaticism, that we cannot and will not lose,” he told reporters who accompanied him on the trip.</p>

AUSTRALIA will contribute a further $110 million to rebuilding Afghanistan and is in the country for the long haul, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said. Mr Rudd made an unannounced visit to the strife-torn country, visiting Australian troops serving in the southern province of Oruzgan before flying into Kabul for meetings with President Hamid Karzai and NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander, US General Dan McNeill. Mr Rudd announced more funding for rebuilding the country - taking the total to about $270 million - and urged NATO countries to pledge more troops for the battle against a resurgent Taliban....

via translation - Unannounced visit of President french Nicolas Sarkozy in Kabul The french president Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Kabul for a five-hour visit to Afghanistan. He will meet french soldiers deployed in Afghanistan and President Hamid Karzai. The presidential aircraft landed at Kabul international airport at around 10:00 local (06h30 Swiss). The head of state is accompanied by french Defence Minister Herve Morin and the Secretary of State for Human Rights Rama Yade. The former minister Jean-Francois Poncet and the philosopher Andre Glucksman is also the journey. Bernard Kouchner, arrived from India, the president was waiting at the airport...

KIRKUK, Iraq — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced visit Tuesday to the city that Iraq's Kurds call their Jerusalem, an oil-rich territory claimed by many where the United States says it sees new signs of cooperation and progress. Rice was seeing members of a civilian-military reconstruction unit based in Kirkuk and meeting provincial politicians of all stripes. She was seeing Iraq's central leadership later in Baghdad. Such reconstruction units were expanded along with the escalation of U.S. forces President Bush ordered this year. Sunni Arabs ended a yearlong political boycott earlier this month in Kirkuk — the...

Excerpt - MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Wednesday to assess the progress that has been made in recent months since the buildup of U.S. forces began to take hold and reduce violence in some parts of the country. Making his sixth trip to the battlefront in a year, Gates planned to talk to Gen. David Petraeus, the top military commander in Iraq, and also meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. ~ snip ~

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2007 – Coalition and Iraqi forces have reduced violence and driven al Qaeda out of strongholds in Iraq’s Anbar province, President Bush said today during his first radio address since his surprise visit there earlier this week to visit troops and assess progress. “Success in Anbar is critical to the democratic future of Iraq and to the war on terror,” Bush said, as he described the significance of the province that spans nearly a third of the country and until recently served as al Qaeda’s main headquarters for operations throughout Iraq. The president commended the local...

Click link for video - Special thanks to Youtube user Firejack007: The Commander-in-Chief along with the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and many high ranking generals, gave a speech to the troops in a surprise visit to Iraq. The sound is somewhat distorted by some of the applause and cheers from the troops in the audience. I also added a very fitting piece from LOTR.

AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- With Democratic leaders returning to Washington today to begin a new assault on his Iraq strategy, President Bush launched a sneak attack on Monday. Making a surprise trip to Iraq, he touted progress in al-Anbar province as a sign that his military surge is working. And, he hinted that he might be able to withdraw some troops if the security gains continue. "When we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from a position of fear and failure," Bush told several hundred Marines assembled...

The President and the first lady spent the weekend in Washington attending church on Sunday. On Sunday night the President left Washington in order to make a visit in Iraq on his way to Australia for the APEC Summit. The President is accompanied on this trip by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates Apologies for the dose being late but there were so many photos to sort and then I had a accident in the kitchen and ended up with gravy and cream all over the floor which needed clearing up. Enjoy your visit to Sanity...

In case you missed it, here is the full video...

President Bush’s Labor Day visit to Iraq should have surprised no one who was paying attention. At such a critical point in the debate over Iraq policy, it was almost inconceivable that he would fly to and from Australia without stopping in Iraq. What was surprising was the precise location and nature of the visit. Instead of flying into Baghdad and surrounding himself with his generals and the Iraqi government, Bush flew to al Asad airfield, west of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province. He brought with him his secretaries of State and Defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs...

White House press corps pool report from President Bush's unannounced trip to Iraq. POTUS visits Iraq’s al Anbar Province In a trip shrouded in secrecy, President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq’s al Asad Air Base Monday. The base is in the heart of al Anbar Province, which Bush has often pointed to as an example of the success of his troop surge in creating space for grassroots political reconciliation. At the huge, isolated, Saddam-era base — which has a 21-kilometer perimeter and is home to some 10,000 U.S. troops — Bush was to meet with Gen. David Petraeus,...

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2007 – President Bush said here today that if reported successes continue in Iraq it will eventually be possible to maintain the same level of security with fewer troops. Flanked by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the president spoke to reporters for a few minutes following meetings with top military and political leaders in the country. He stopped short of stating when troop sizes could be drawn down in the region. “General (David H.) Petraeus and Ambassador (Ryan C.) Crocker tell me if the kind of success...

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2007 – Local tribes siding with coalition forces to repel al Qaeda must be incorporated into Iraq’s central government and its security forces, a senior Defense Department official said. The official spoke to reporters on background while traveling to Iraq with Defense Department Secretary Robert M. Gates. Gates joined President Bush and other top U.S. officials in a surprise meeting here today. It is likely the president’s last meeting with all key leaders before deciding the course of U.S. involvement in Iraq. The official told reporters in flight than an “awakening” of tribal...

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2007 – President Bush surprised servicemembers with a visit to this base in Iraq’s Anbar province today. The unmistakable blue and white coloring of Air Force One swooped in over the base and landed. Marines guarding the area where the day's meeting would be held looked and said, "This meeting just got a whole lot more important." The servicemembers based here only knew about the Secdef and Chairman coming in. As the plane unloaded, dust devils stirred the air. The temperature in pegged at 115. Servicemembers all over the base are sweltering in...

Al ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2007 – President Bush has assembled his “war council” here in a surprise holiday weekend-meeting, at this remote airbase, in what is probably the group’s last meeting before the president makes his decision on next steps for U.S. involvement in the war. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Adm. William Fallon, commander of U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker are all slated to meet with...

This was a good move on the part of the President. “BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq Monday, saying fewer U.S. forces may be able to maintain security there.“Gen. [David] Petraeus and Ambassador [Ryan] Crocker tell me if the kind of success we’re now seeing continues, it will be possible to maintain the same level of security with fewer American forces,� Bush said during remarks at Al Asad Air Base in Anbar province.Bush ordered an increase of about 30,000 U.S. forces in Iraq earlier this year and the White House is due to deliver...

Bush Visits Iraq, Lefties Go Nuts Mon, Sep 3, 2007 at 9:53:46 am PST On his way to Australia for the APEC economic summit, President Bush made a surprise stop-over in Iraq. And the “progressive” bloggers are freaking out, of course. UPDATE at 9/3/07 10:07:47 am: Daily Kos: How dare Dubya smile while in Iraq? newsvine | reddit | del.icio.us | | email this article 296 comments

AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq - President Bush and his national security team made a first-hand assessment of the war in Iraq and prospects for political reconciliation Monday before a showdown with Congress over the U.S. troop buildup. The president secretly flew 12 hours to this dusty air base in a remote part of Anbar province, bypassing Baghdad in a symbolic expression of impatience with political paralysis in the nation's capital. The gesture underscored the U.S. belief that the spark for progress may come at the local level. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived ahead of Bush and conferred with senior U.S....

American President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq on Monday. The White House said Bush had arrived at the al-Asad Air Force base, west of Baghdad in Anbar province. He was accompanied by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and national security adviser Steven Hadley. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was also there, Reuters reported. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Bush, Rice and Gates would meet their top commanders, Iraqi leaders including Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and tribal leaders in Anbar. "This is very much the meeting of the war council," Morrell told reporters. "This will be the...

President Bush will make a speech at 12:30 p.m. EDT live from Iraq. The cable networks will be covering it. Will the broadcast networks break in to their soap operas to cover it?The speech is expected to last about ten or fifteen minutes.

President Bush, center, meets with Marines at Al-Asad Airbase in Anbar province, Iraq, Monday, Sept. 3, 2007. The president made an unannounced visit to Iraq to meet with Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general of the multinational forces in Iraq, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, Iraqi leaders, and U.S. troops. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)