Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=NOVEMBER 27, 2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=BUSH IRAQ (S)

NUMBER=2-310298

BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: President Bush has made a surprise visit to Iraq to visit American troops during the U-S Thanksgiving holiday. V-O-A's Scott Stearns reports from Washington.

TEXT: The president's plane landed under cover of darkness in Baghdad for a two-hour dinner with U-S troops who were told their guest of honor would be the U-S Administrator for Iraq, Paul Bremer.

The secret visit began with the president leaving his Texas ranch late Wednesday and returning to Washington to pick-up other officials for the flight to Baghdad.

White House officials told reporters covering the president's supposed Thanksgiving weekend in Texas that he and the First Lady were having free-range turkey with their daughters and his parents, the former President George Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush.

The trip to Iraq is the first by a U-S president and its secrecy underscores the considerable security concerns of having Mr. Bush in Baghdad during armed resistance to U-S occupation.

The president's written statement on Thanksgiving paid tribute to the men and women of the U-S military, saying they are continuing the noble tradition of sacrificing to preserve American freedoms and "defend peace around the world." (SIGNED)

NEB/SS/RAE