Surprise: Obama Makes Unannounced Trip To Iraq

President Obama arrived in Iraq earlier today unexpectedly. The Caucus reports, "Air Force One landed at Baghdad International Airport at 4:42 pm, according to a pool report from reporters traveling with the president," and Politico says, "White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, speaking to reporters aboard the president’s plane, said Obama chose to visit Iraq instead of Afghanistan for three reasons: because of its closeness to Turkey, where he was thought to have concluded his week-long trip; to discuss the country’s post-war progress with Iraqi officials; and to thank American troops." There are sand storms, so Obama will only be able to speak with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki by phone. Yesterday, Obama discussed his opposition to the war to an audience in Turkey, adding, "Now that we're there, I have a responsibility to make sure that as we bring troops out, that we do so in a careful enough way that we don't see a complete collapse into violence."