Both Dick Cheney and John McCain made "unannounced" visits to Iraq, neither for "political purposes."

Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced trip Monday to Baghdad, where he plans to push Iraqi political leaders toward opening the country’s vast oil fields to international companies, a senior Bush administration official said.

Mr. Cheney, who arrived in the Iraqi capital with his wife and daughter in the morning, is to meet with top officials including the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a Shiite, and the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, a Kurd.

The vice president plans, among other things, to push Iraqi officials to pass petroleum legislation that would help bring international oil companies to Iraq, according to a pool report of comments by a senior administration official who was flying with Mr. Cheney.

The official described the petroleum issue as being about Iraqi leaders “figuring out how they really begin to exploit” the country’s resources, according to the pool report.Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced trip Monday to Baghdad, where he plans to push Iraqi political leaders toward opening the country’s vast oil fields to international companies, a senior Bush administration official said.

Mr. Cheney, who arrived in the Iraqi capital with his wife and daughter in the morning, is to meet with top officials including the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a Shiite, and the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, a Kurd.

The vice president plans, among other things, to push Iraqi officials to pass petroleum legislation that would help bring international oil companies to Iraq, according to a pool report of comments by a senior administration official who was flying with Mr. Cheney.

The official described the petroleum issue as being about Iraqi leaders “figuring out how they really begin to exploit” the country’s resources, according to the pool report.

Well, we know where the sentiments of his mechanical heart lie.
Oil, baby!
And Fox News told me the trip was to promote peace in the Middle East. That may be so in regards to Cheney not getting his Exxon's way means there'll be more war.

And then there's the presumptive GOP presidential nominee's trip to consider.
McCain will NOT be going to "stroll freely through a Baghdad market", heavily protected by the US military on this trip due to "security considerations."
Hell, they won't even announce his schedule!
More evidence the surge is working and we need to occupy our 51st state for 100 more years, or until we drain all our oil from underneath their sand.

So what if the glories of deregulation are about to exhibit the magnificence of free market capitalism at it's finest (socialist Fed Reserve bailouts and all) 'cause you didn't need that 401k retirement money anyways.
(Good thing we went ahead privatized Social Security, eh Bush?)

Can't think about that right now, we've got a war to fight. Don't laugh Iran, you're next!