White House Watch: Bush may visit U.S. troops in Asia
Speculation is percolating within the traveling White House press corps that President Bush may make a surprise visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan or Iraq at the end of his current Asia tour. If it happened, this would put the commander in chief in one of the war zones just before Thanksgiving. As of now, he is scheduled to return to the White House from his trip to Japan, South Korea, China, and Mongolia on Monday, then leave for his Texas ranch on Tuesday for the holiday. Reporters recall that Bush made an unannounced trip to Iraq during his first term for a quick Thanksgiving meal, and the timing could be right for another visit to demonstrate support for the troops at a time when the administration's Iraq policy is under attack from critics at home. White House officials say any unannounced visits are, well, unannounced for obvious security reasons. In other words, they won't give a definitive answer, so the press corps is left to speculate.
One of the lighter news tidbits from Bush's visit to Kyoto earlier this week involved an American invention the president favors. Seems President Bush gave Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi a Segway scooter as a gift and couldn't resist demonstrating the stand-up contraption in the driveway of the PM's guesthouse. Bush has a bit of experience with the scooters. He tried one at his father's estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, in June 2003, but the Segway toppled. Bush, however, managed to land on his feet. This time, the president's ride apparently was a smooth one, a White House aide says.
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