Word: iraqi
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...McCain was appalled. He was a Republican, and a hawk, and exactly one year later he would enthusiastically support the decision to topple the Iraqi regime by force. But to McCain, his encounter with Bush that day was more evidence of the shallow intellect and dangerous self-regard possessed by the man to whom he had lost an acrimonious contest two years earlier. Later, McCain would retell the story and shake his head incredulously. "Can you believe this guy?" he asked. "He's the President!" He didn't say it, but the continuation of the thought hung...
...other words, lots of photo-ops, lots of PowerPoint presentations - and very little contact with Iraqi reality...
...Unfortunately, if VIP visitors encounter any Iraqis at all, the locals are usually handpicked to reinforce the embassy's (or military's) point of view. Visitors may also consult with Iraqi leaders who, by definition, have political agendas of their...
...First, he should invite a group of Baghdad journalists - mostly Iraqis, but also a few Westerners who've been in Iraq for several years - for a chat. This would not be a press conference; Obama would be asking all the questions. The majority of journalists live in the Red Zone and see much more of Iraqi life than anybody in the Iraqi government or the U.S. embassy. Iraqi journalists don't need to "embed" with U.S. troops in order to get to dangerous districts like Sadr City or Amariyah - they live in those neighborhoods, and they could tell Obama...
...there's not enough time to organize such a meeting, there's one surefire way Obama can meet Iraqis. At the main entrances to the Green Zone, there's almost always a long queue of folks waiting to get in, usually to visit a government office or a member of Parliament. Once they get past the elaborate security checks, they're usually made to wait on the lawns of the building that serves as Iraq's Parliament. It would be relatively easy for Obama to send a member of his entourage, accompanied by an Iraqi translator, to invite a random...