Bush said his visit was in part "to herald the passage" of a Status of Forces Agreement for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces by the end of 2011 and an accompanying accord outlining future U.S.-Iraqi relations.
Bush called the package "a reminder of our friendship and as a way forward to help the Iraqi people realize the blessings of a free society." Some critics say it is not clear enough in its deadlines for U.S. troop pullouts, and other critics say it is likely to negate his promise that America would stay as long as it took for Iraq to remain a stable democracy.
The Bush visit, which like his three previous ones was kept secret until his arrival, reflected the changes that have been taking place in Iraq in the aftermath of what he has called his "surge" strategy. In a sign of improved security since his last trip here in September 2007, and perhaps to burnish his image, Bush's distinctive jet landed in Baghdad in broad daylight, and he ventured beyond military bases and the heavily guarded Green Zone in central Baghdad.
His first stop was Talabani's palace in the capital's Karada district, outside the Green Zone, where he walked slowly up a long, red carpet with Talabani. After dark, when the meeting was over, Bush's unmarked motorcade drove through the quiet, chilly streets and crossed the bright green bridge leading into the Green Zone for meetings with more Iraqi officials, including Maliki. The streets were empty, having been closed hours earlier to most traffic when security officials got word of Bush's arrival.
Appearing alongside Maliki, Bush, who only recently acknowledged regrets about relying on bad intelligence about weapons of mass destruction when he invaded Iraq in March 2003, declared, "The war is not over."
The words were in stark contrast to those he uttered May 1, 2003, shortly after Hussein's overthrow, when Bush announced that "major combat operations have ended" and that attention could turn to sustaining security and rebuilding the country.
Since then, 4,060 more U.S. forces have died in Iraq, according to the independent website icasualties.org, and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed. Bush's popularity level is at a record low. Most Iraqis remain without reliable electricity, clean water, sewage systems and security, and pressure has mounted on the U.S.-backed Iraqi government to end the American presence here.
