THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Drop in for a visit! We all know how well that worked on the Gulf Coast following Katrina. With everything going so well in Louisiana & Mississippi a trip to Badgag would be just the ticket.

Arriving here under extraordinary security, President Bush signaled that he had come to Baghdad to shore up Mr. Maliki's new government and to signal that that the Americans were preparing to reduce their responsibilities, with the war now well into its fourth year.

President Bush and Mr. Maliki shook hands in front of a large crowd in the rotunda of the Republican Presidential Palace, then walked together into a meeting of the 39-member Iraqi cabinet. The President's visit lasted a mere six hours, with Mr. Bush flying out of the country at about 9:50 p.m. Baghdad time (1:50 Eastern time).

Seated at a polished oval table in front of the Iraqi and American flags, Mr. Bush congratulated Mr. Maliki on the formation of his cabinet, saying he was "impressed" with the lineup.

"I have expressed our country's desire to work with you but I appreciate you recognize the fact that the future of your country is in your hands," said Mr. Bush, speaking in what used to be the office of L. Paul Bremer, the chief American administrator in the first year following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime.

And while ODEL gave the new strategery a good workout, the planning for the old strategery continued.

The President's visit came as more than 75,000 Iraqi and American police and troops prepared to fan out across Baghdad in what promises to be a stepped-up effort to bring order to the capital. Baghdad has slipped close to anarchy in recent months, with violent crime, kidnapping and revenge killings combining with militia and insurgent attacks to render virtually lawless every neighborhood in the capital.

Iraqi officials said the operation, which would be launched at dawn Wednesday, would be the biggest of its kind since the United States government restored Iraqi sovereignty in June 2004. Dozens of raids, roadblocks and neighborhood sweeps and even air strikes were in the works, officials said. Still, it's not clear how the plan would differ from previous ones; there are already about 75,000 Iraq and Americans troops and police patrolling the city.

Second verse same as the first, con gusto.

UPDATE: From Best of Both Worlds comes this snippet in the Wall St Journal.

"Mr. Bartlett said the extraordinarily tight protective measures were necessary because of Iraq's tenuous security situation, which also meant that the option of having Mr. Bush stay overnight in Iraq was "never seriously considered."

But staying overnight is good enough for the troops that Our Dear Embattled Leader so dearly loves.