these surprise visits to iraq (and occasionally, afghanistan) seem to be the hip thing for bush administration officials to do these days.
such visits do get a lot of press, and i assume the administration thinks of it as good press. but i wonder if it really plays out that way. whenever i hear about a secret visit, especially the ones with details like decoy planes or landings in the dead of night, etc., all it does for me is emphasize just how dangerous those places are. if iraq was really a wellspring of under-reported goodness, there would be no reason for any official to sneak in. on the contrary, they would probably demand the red carpet treatment, diet caffeine free sprite, etc.
