Bush in Iraq

President Bush and his national security team made a first-hand assessment of the war in Iraq and prospects for political reconciliation before a showdown with Congress over the U.S. troop buildup. The president secretly flew 12 hours to this dusty air base in a remote part of Anbar province, bypassing Baghdad in a symbolic expression of impatience with political paralysis in the nation's capital. The gesture underscored the U.S. belief that the spark for progress may come at the local level. The president secretly flew 12 hours to this dusty air base in a remote part of Anbar province, bypassing Baghdad in a symbolic expression of impatience with political paralysis in the nation's capital.