Bush should go to Iraq.
Despite criticism, the media in the United States and abroad continue to portray the events in Iraq in a negative light while giving short shrift to the many positive signs there. To remedy this, President Bush should make a presidential trip to Iraq. He would meet with Iraqi leaders and get a feel for the situation on the ground for himself. The most immediate advantage is that the Western media would have to follow President Bush around Iraq and report on each of his stops. The President could stop at rebuilt schools, at restocked hospitals, at newly free newspaper stands, in the peaceful Shiite areas, in the peaceful Kurdish areas, and elsewhere. The media would be forced to cover the facts. The President could also thereby gain a better understanding of what is happening in Iraq.
One of the new problems is the squabbling between the Iraqi Governing Council (*) and the Coalition Provisional Authority (†), headed by Paul Bremer. Jim Hoagland provides a report. (‡) A Bush visit to Iraq would help ease tensions and spark the Iraqis on their path to re-establishing sovereignty.
I realize that a Bush trip to Iraq may be unfeasible considering the security situation. Still, if it were possible, Bush would greatly help his own cause by doing so.