I Hear the Mountains are Real Pretty

Perhaps you've heard the big news: Bush Makes "Surprise" Stop in Afghanistan on Way to India (quotes mine). I love the idea that this visit was a surprise. Just because it was a surprise to the media, and I guess to the American people, not that any of the American people really cared that he was going to India anyway, doesn't mean that it's actually a surprise. Look at those gorgeous podiums (podii?), that snazzy cap. This might have been a surprise to the New York Times, but someone called Karzai and told him to have his good suit ready. I guess my complaint is that it's more of the movie-star Bush persona - look how surprising he is! How dashing! How unpredictable! I fully understand the reasons for not announcing the visit ahead of time, BTW, as I'm sure the supposedly defunct Taliban would be more than happy for some advance notice, but what I don't understand is why the media feels the need to play up the President's twinkling valor for holding a press conference, just because it wasn't on their editorial calendars. And, from the opposite perspective, I am simply astounded by the fact that he had never been there before. I had sort of been under the impression that he went over there and personally attempted to "smoke out" Osama bin Laden. Yee-haw!