I know this is going to just kill all the conspiracy theorists out there, but here is more evidence that the Bush trip to Iraq was not merely undertaken to ‘overshadow’ Hillary. From an online chat with Dana Milbank:
Nashville, Tenn.: Is there any indication that Hillary Clinton’s Thanksgiving trip to Iraq played any role in motivating the President’s decision to make the secret trip?
Dana Milbank: None whatsoever. But that doesn’t stop people from speculating. Fodder for conspiracy types: The Pentagon knew weeks in advance about plans for her trip. Cold water for conspiracy types: the Clinton trip was to have been the week before but was delayed because of Medicare votes.
JKC
I agree that the notion that Bush went to Baghdad to upstage Senator Clinton is absurd. The Pentagon could have probably cancelled the trip for “security reasons” had they been so inclined.
Of course, if certain people on the fringe didn’t insist on confusing HRC with Satan’s wife, this inane theory wouldn’t have gotten anywhere in the first place.
Dodd
Also from the Milbank transcript:
Heh.