Conditions in Iraq have obviously improved of late...

Really? From Juan Cole:

Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that guerrillas set off six coordinated bombs in Shiite areas of Baghdad on Monday, killing 34 and wounding over 100, and raising fears that Iraq was slipping back into major violence.

We've been so preoccupied on other issues like the economy, we forget the other gifts George W. Bush gave us.

No one, as far as I can tell, tried to hit Obama with a shoe,

Stop that.

Certainly, if someone *did* try to hit President Obama with a shoe, he would handle it with grace and diplomacy, instead of clueless indifference.

"Conditions in Iraq have obviously improved of late"

maybe you should stick to parsing right wing talking points after all.

"Obama will speak to Iraq's president and Prime Minister by telephone instead."

Hang on. From the report linked:
"Aboard the plane to Iraq, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that Mr. Obama had planned to take a helicopter from the airport into the city to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, but that poor weather conditions canceled the trip. Officials said later that Mr. Maliki would travel to Camp Victory to meet with Mr. Obama."

It was too dangerous for Obama to fly, but not too dangerous for Maliki? Surely that sends a strange and negative message to Iraqis about how America views their relationship. If Bush had done something like that, I'd have poured scorn on it. I'll do no different now.

Regards, Steve

he would handle it with grace and diplomacy, instead of clueless indifference.

Credit where credit's due: Bush ducking of the shoes was pretty impressive, under the circumstances. Obama could only aspire to match him in this respect (and hopefully only in this respect)

Come on, guys...US troops deaths in Iraq are down considerably in Iraq compared to a year ago, and even more so compared to two years ago. That doesn't mean things are perfect there; that doesn't mean things might not deteriorate going forward; and it doesn't mean Steve is now "in favor" of having gone to Iraq, etc.

What it does mean is that "Conditions in Iraq have obviously improved of late" is a perfectly reasonable, defensible statement.

And the countdown begins for the first Right Wing blowhard to chastise Obama for taking so long to get there. That he'd rather hob-nob with Sarkozy than talk to our brave soldiers blah blah blah

My money is on Malkin :)

If Obama wanted to do something especially meaningful during his stop in Iraq, he should have used the opportunity to personally fire Odierno. To allow generals to continue in their positions, when they are sabotaging his policies, should not happen.

Both Odierno & Betrayus are rethugnican politicians in military clothing & should be fired. Do not be surprised if we learn in the future that they are among those 'reporting backchannel' to Cheney.

What it does mean is that "Conditions in Iraq have obviously improved of late" is a perfectly reasonable, defensible statement.

Not really. Actually, if he had said it a couple of months ago, maybe. But since then, things are quickly deteriorating. U.S. forces are once again engaging Sunni insurgents who have also gone on an offensive against Shiites, bombing sites throughout Baghdad. The Sunnis are pissed because the framework of the Anbar Awakening — their bribes to stay out of the fighting — has been thrown out by the Iraqi government. They aren't getting their money anymore.

The whole ""Conditions in Iraq have obviously improved of late" is a defensive tic and misreading of what's going on there right now.

I was pretty sure Obama would stop off in Iraq after Turkey, but I expected Hoekstra to twitter the details.

Hope Obama had a chance to meet with Maliki so that he could practice bowing some more.

I have nothing against Obama's secrecy (he wasn't the one who invaded, after all), but conditions will have truly improved when he can take an announced trip to Iraq.

maybe you should stick to parsing right wing talking points after all.

Christ, but you're a petulant little shit. Thanks for confirming that you have no standard for blog content other than "If Steve Benen writes it, I will whine."

It was too dangerous for Obama to fly, but not too dangerous for Maliki?

I, for one, am quite ok with that decision, sparky.

I would like to add my skepticism to that of others questioning that "Conditions in Iraq have obviously improved of late." Please share the good news, with specificity and citations, if you know of any.

Glad he was able to visit the troops. They deserve that and more.