"Hillary Rodham Clinton to Iraq and Afghanistan"

Lynn Sweet in the Chicago Sun-Times:

For the past few days, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), poised to make a 2008 White House bid, has been keeping in the shadows. While chief 2008 rival Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) mini-media blitzed his Iraq react--he is against the escalation--Clinton has been strategically quiet.

Now her office announces a one-up: Clinton, with Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) (who just dropped his White House bid but could be in the vice=president sweepstakes) and Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) are visiting Iraq and Afghanistan over the weekend, meeting with troops from Indiana and New York.

She'll find out for herself (click below for statement) how the Iraqi officials plan to stand up to violence. A centerpiece of President Bush's justification for sending more soldiers to Iraq is giving Iraqis one more chance assistance from U.S. military to help them help themselves.

Clinton's Tuesday presser to discuss her trip will be the must attend event of the day.

this from Clinton office...

Howie suggestion: The action is shifting to Iran and Syria, it appears, very quickly. Perhaps she should tack on a side trip, in the interest of fiscal responsibility and the future of our country.