A Chickenhawk's Thanksgiving

The interesting thing about George W. Bush’s Thanksgiving trip to the Baghdad airport isn’t whether its purpose was political. Come on.

No, the interesting thing is how hard the president fought his handlers before agreeing to this particular photo op. And way beyond interesting — fascinating — is the openness with which he discussed his fears once the ordeal was over.

Let’s go back over the preparations for the trip, pieced together from official statements and press reports:

In late September, the White House learned that Hillary Clinton was going to Baghdad at Thanksgiving time.

In mid-October, White House chief of staff Andrew Card suggested to the president that he, too, might want to visit Baghdad over the holidays. Here Mr. Bush, on the way back from his visit to the Baghdad airport, describes his initial reaction:

“Andy said, would you be interested in going to Baghdad, and I said, yes, I would, except I don’t want to go if it puts anybody in harm’s way. It’s very essential that I fully understand all aspects of the trip, starting with whether or not we could get in out safely, whether or not my presence there would in any way cause the enemy to react and therefore jeopardize somebody else’s life.

“I felt it was important to send a message that we care for them and we support them strongly, and that we erase any doubt in their minds as to whether or not the people stand with them — you know, I understood the consequences and risks.

“And over time I was assured by the planners and, as importantly, our military people and the pilot here of this airplane that the risk could be minimized if we were able to keep the trip quiet.”

One of the reporters aboard Air Force One asked. “Was there any point along in the planning for this trip that you looked at it and thought, you know, this might be too risky, maybe we should —”

“Yes, all along,” Bush answered. “I mean, I was the biggest skeptic of all.”

And his chief of staff, Andrew Card, added, “Yes, he was.” The reporters laughed, according to the transcipt, and Mr. Bush continued to discuss his fears:

“I sat down with Colonel Tillman on one of our trips recently and just said, look, I need to know, what does it take to get into Baghdad now, and how risky is it? And he said, sir, I wouldn’t take you in there if I wasn’t convinced that we could do this in a way that would safely bring you to the troops. I wouldn’t have asked you to come if I didn't think it was safe. I would not have put you in this position…

“Well, I’m telling you, this is — again, had this been jeopardized in any way, we wouldn’t put myself and/or you all in this position. And we were very — we were cautious and we needed to be.”

And again:

“I assured them [his family] that I wouldn’t be going if it wasn’t well thought out and well planned. They understood, I think the girls thought it was a great thing to do, to go see the — go thank our troops. A lot of the kids are their age, 22 years old and younger. And Laura was pleased that I had decided to go. I comforted her about the — you know, I assured her that I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t confident we could get in and out of there safely — that was very important.

“...I think Americans understand that we’ve got a bunch of kids in harm’s way and that the President, if it can be done safely, owes an explanation of thanks and thanksgiving to these kids. Had I not been convinced it could be done, and done properly, I wouldn’t have gone.”

Earlier Bush had sought further reassurance, according to his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice:

Rice said the president was concerned about his own security as well as the possibility the visit would increase the risk to front-line troops. Before giving the final green light, he convened a meeting with his top advisers.

“The (military) commanders still wanted this to go forward. And the president went around the room and just said, ‘Do you still think this is the right thing to do?’ And each of us thought it was the right thing to do,” Rice said.

By the time President Bush finally left his house in Crawford for the airport — behind the limousine’s tinted glass and disguised by a baseball cap pulled down over his face — he had shopped his concerns to his chief of staff, his pilot, the secret service, his military commanders, his wife, and his two daughters.

But nobody had given him the answer he was looking for.

I am not a psychiatrist, but I am a former White House press officer and I can tell you that in Dan Bartlett’s place aboard that blacked-out plane, I would have been cringing for my president as he returned, over and over again, to his private night-sweats.

No, no, no, boss. Christ, you’re sounding like Peter Rabbit running from one hole to another on 9/11. Our guys are dying back there, boss, and not safe in the airport either. Outside the goddamn bubble where Hillary goddamn Clinton is going to be tomorrow. Just. Shut. Up.

Posted by Jerome Doolittle at December 01, 2003 08:07 PM

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