President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq today, no doubt to celebrate the new government and the shattering of Al Qaeda with the death of Zarqawi.

President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq on Tuesday to meet newly named Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and discuss the next steps in the troubled, three-year-old war.

It was a dramatic move by Bush, traveling to violence-rattled Baghdad less than a week after the death of terror chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a bombing attack. The president was expected to be in Baghdad a little more than five hours.

The trip was known only to a handful of aides and a small number of reporters sworn to secrecy because of obvious security threats for Bush and members of his entourage.

Landing at Baghdad airport, Bush transferred to a helicopter for a six-minute ride into the heavily fortified Green Zone. White House officials said the helicopter ride posed the greatest risk for the president.

Bush is one brave President, flying into the lions den to demonstrate our resolve.  The left can whine all they want, but Bush has flown to Iraq twice now during this ‘war’, along with numerous cabinet members and conrgessional entourages.  Al Qaeda is on notice that the President of the United States can visit Iraq and talk with our allies.  That is more than some photo op.