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Jeb Bush visits Florida troops in Iraq

He makes the surprise trip with three other governors, and shakes hands among the Florida Army National Guard.

By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published April 15, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - Under top security, Gov. Jeb Bush is spending Easter in Iraq with troops from Florida, reuniting the governor with the National Guard soldiers who had helped out after hurricanes.

Bush planned to join troops for Easter religious services today before heading home. Accompanying him on the bipartisan mission were three other governors: fellow Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Tom Vilsack of Iowa, a potential 2008 presidential candidate.

Wearing an armored vest and helmet while flying on a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter, Bush visited seven military bases in Iraq and Kuwait as part of the Pentagon-sponsored mission at the request of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Bush said he was "armored up" for safety, but did not feel unsafe.

"The most impressive part of the trip is the great enthusiasm and morale of the troops," he said. "These young men and women are pretty fired up."

The Florida Army National Guard currently has 338 members serving in Iraq, and 60 in Kuwait.

Bush's surprise visit comes at a time of mounting discontent about the handling of the war effort by his brother, President Bush. In addition, a growing number of commanders who served under Rumsfeld are demanding his dismissal, claiming he mishandled the operation by sending not enough troops and underestimating the resolve of the Iraqi insurgency.

Bush said the subject of Rumsfeld's future is "not of a concern" to troops. But he added: "In a mission this ambitious, and this extensive, is it possible that mistakes were made? Of course it is."

"After the fact, it's easy to harp and to criticize, and, frankly, people have the right to do it," Bush added. "I don't know how many retired generals there are over the last six or seven years. ... My guess is there's been a ton of them. And to have six of them be critical, I don't think it's such an extraordinary thing."

For the governor of a hurricane-battered state who has relied on help from National Guard troops to recover from several storms, Bush was not in unfamiliar surroundings.

"We talked a lot about hurricanes, about our experiences," Bush said.

As he passed out commemorative Florida coins, Bush said he was amazed to find that almost every soldier he met had spent time in Florida after one or more of the hurricanes that struck the state in the past two years. He said he would return home with a list of phone calls to make to relatives of troops he met.

"I've taken more photos and shaken more hands than any time being governor, including campaigning," said Bush, who first expressed an interest in visiting Iraq about six months ago.

The trip was the seventh involving U.S. governors. It began on Thursday with classified Department of Defense briefings in Washington that did not appear on Bush's official schedule.

Aides to the governor said the Pentagon insisted on secrecy for security reasons. But Bush said he was not subject to increased security because he's the brother of the president.

Bush's visit to Baghdad was a closely guarded secret until Saturday, when the governor held a conference call with four Florida reporters. Bush's schedule for Friday, Saturday and today was listed as personal time, even though the governor was traveling on official business.

After the Pentagon lifted the shroud of secrecy, the Governor's Office posted photos of him smiling and talking with soldiers on a Web site, www.flgov.com/middleeast

"I'm really tired," said Bush. "I've taken full advantage of the opportunity to be with the troops.

"We have a great state. But if people could just spend a day here, they wouldn't complain about the things they complain about."

The governor, who lives life closely tethered to his e-mail inbox and the 24-hour news cycle, sounded as if he needed a hometown news fix.

"Is anything bad happening while I'm gone?" he asked.

Reporters told Bush that U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris raised $1-million in the past three months, and revenue forecasters have raised the state's anticipated tax receipts by another $1-billion next year.

"You guys have got no bad news. That's great," Bush said.

Ending a 20-minute conference call, he said: "I'm going to sleep."

[Last modified April 15, 2006, 21:31:02]