Low Expectations for Cheney Trip

"Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride: 'His meeting was not disturbed and he was not moved.'"

Flashback to 2005

This is Cheney's second trip to Baghdad. His first was in December 2005.

Jonathan Finer and Naseer Nouri covered that trip for The Washington Post: "Shrouded in fortified compounds and shuttled between venues by squadrons of helicopters, Cheney came on a day that underscored the deep economic and security challenges the country faces."

After meeting with Iraqi and American officials, Cheney delivered a speech to troops at an Air Force base.

"There, Cheney addressed the roiling public debate in the United States over how long American troops should remain in Iraq.

"'I know most of you have heard the political debates that have been going on back home,' he said. 'You've heard some prominent voices advocating a sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq. Some have suggested this war is not winnable. And a few seem almost eager to conclude that the struggle is already over. But they are wrong. The only way to lose this fight is to quit. And that is not an option.'

"Afterward, he took questions from a group of 30 troops in a large tent. 'From our perspective, we don't see much as far as gains,' Marine Cpl. Bradley Warren told Cheney. 'I was wondering what it looks like from the big side of the mountain -- how Iraq's looking.'

"'Well, Iraq's looking good,' Cheney responded. 'It's hard sometimes, if you look at just the news, to have the good stories burn through. Part of it is that what we're doing here, obviously, takes time. From our perspective, looking back, as I say, to a year and a half ago, I think it's remarkable progress. I think we've turned the corner, if you will. I think when we look back from 10 years hence, we'll see that the year '05 was in fact a watershed year here in Iraq.'

"Cheney . . . also discussed the possibility of American forces eventually withdrawing 'to a few locations' in Iraq, which would 'reduce the total number of personnel we need here.'

"'I think you will see changes in our deployment patterns probably within this next year,' he said."

Is Anybody Listening?

While it's unclear whether Iraqi leaders will listen to Cheney, it's quite clear that his own citizens have largely tuned him and the president out.

Susan Page and William Risser write in USA Today: "Most Americans don't believe that the continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is the key to preventing a full-scale civil war there or protecting the United States from new terrorist attacks, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.