Bushs Thanksgiving Surprise click here to find article

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Bushs Thanksgiving Surpriseclick here to find
article
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Topics of Discussion

• When the trip was planned
• How the trip was kept a secret
• The people who knew of the trip

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Topics of Discussion continued

• The incentive for the trip
• His companions on the trip
• Concerns about the trip

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When the Trip Was Planned

• Administration officials started planning it six
  weeks ago
• Idea for the trip came up in mid-October
• Bush gave his final approval for the trip
  Wednesday morning

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How the Trip Was Kept A Secret

• Very few people knew of the trip (his parents
  didnt even know)
• Used an unmarked car to get to the airport
• There was not the usual motorcade and blocked
  streets
• Air force One landed on the runway in Iraq in the
  dark with no lights

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The People Who Knew of the Trip

• Defense Secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld
• Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell
• Head of the United States Central Command, Gen.
  John P. Abizaid

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The Incentive for the Trip

• To surprise American soldiers in Bagdhad at
  Thanksgiving dinner
• To show them his gratitude for their service

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Bushs Companions on the Trip

• 13 reporters
• They were instructed not to tell families or
  employers about the trip
• National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice
• Chief of Staff, Andrew H. Card Jr.
• Communication Director, Dan Bartlett
• White House Doctor, Richard A. Tobb
• White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Joe Hagin

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Concerns About the Trip

• Whether or not Bushs presence in the middle east
  would in any way cause an enemy to react,
  therefore jeopardize somebody elses life
• Dan Bartlett told reporters that if any news of
  the trip leaked out before Air Force One landed
  in Iraq the plane would turn around

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What Does This Mean?

• Despite the opinions about our president this act
  of gratitude shows Bush to have a character of
  bravery and loyalty to the American soldiers
• November 27th 2003 George W. Bush Jr. flew to
  Baghdad to spend Thanksgiving with United States
  troops to thank them for standing up against
  terrorism in Iraq