Some presidents don't have to sneak (slink) into town

It's really just too flipping delicious.

Mind you, I think that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran is his own brand of nutjob, with all manner of delusions and dangerous opinions, though every once in a while he makes great sense. Unlike, say, GWB who is also full of delusions and dangerous opinions and almost never makes any sense whatsoever. GWB is also, by far, the more dangerous of the two, to the world and to the United States.

So now "I'm-a-dinner-jacket" (as Randi Rhodes used to call him) drops in for a visit in Iraq.

BAGHDAD, March 2 (Reuters) - Pomp and ceremony greeted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his arrival in Iraq on Sunday, the fanfare a stark contrast to the rushed and secretive visits of his bitter rival U.S. President George W. Bush.

Ahmadinejad held hands with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as they walked down a red carpet to the tune of their countries' national anthems, his visit the first by an Iranian president since the two neighbours fought a ruinous war in the 1980s.

His warm reception, in which he was hugged and kissed by Iraqi officials and presented with flowers by children, was Iraq's first full state welcome for any leader since the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Contrast this with how Bush and other US officials have to sneak into Iraq and sneak back out again, usually arriving in the dead of night and taking helicopters into town. Ahmedinejad's motorcade drove from the airport into Baghdad in broad daylight.

There were protests against his visit and against Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs, so it wasn't all flowers and candy. Nonetheless, it makes for a striking contrast.
--the BB