And takes the whole national security/defense team with him. How's that for a display of confidence in the troops and the Surge?

President Bush greeted his war commanders with salutes Monday during a surprise visit to a U.S. air base in Iraq's Anbar province.

Air Force One touched down at Al Asad Air Base at 3:43 p.m. (7:43 a.m. EDT) under a blazing sun.

The White House said the base was chosen because of the "remarkable turnaround" in the mostly Sunni region west of Baghdad.

Bush plans to eat dinner with U.S. troops and to meet with top military commanders, the U.S. ambassador, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and provincial tribal leaders.

Bush has hailed Anbar as a success, citing the U.S. military's alliance with tribal leaders in fighting al Qaeda in Iraq.

Marine commanders on the ground told Bush that "morale is high," despite long troop rotations.

The president was expected to deliver televised remarks from the base at about 12:30 ET.

* * *

Also joining Bush on the Iraq visit are U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser Stephen Hadley, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace, a senior White House official said.

Jules Crittenden has a great roundup of the news of the visit. And i do wish that the President would take up the suggestion of a visit to Fallujah or Ramadi. Not only our troops, but the Iraqi people need the sign of support that such a visit would be.

Captain Ed offers this analysis.

How will this affect the debate on Iraq here in the US? It will show that more of Iraq has been secured in a rather dramatic fashion. A year ago, a presidential visit to Anbar would have been a ludicrous suggestion. His meetings with tribal leaders may have been even more ludicrous regardless of whether they occurred in Anbar or Baghdad. It cuts through the filters of conventional wisdom and media narratives to make a rather bold point about the progress since the start of the surge.

More importantly, how does this affect politics inside Iraq? By meeting with Maliki, Bush can assuage some hurt feelings over calls for Maliki's ouster by Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin. However, his meetings with tribal leaders will demonstrate that the US will be willing to work with a broad range of political leadership, a move that should send a message to Maliki. It will be a recognition of tribal leaders who have chosen political engagement rather than terrorist support, which will strengthen the momentum towards political reform.

It's a smart move in all directions. Bush has once again shown the relevance and the power of the presidency, and he chose the best possible time for this demonstration.

He is exactly right in this -- as the Petraeus report looms on the horizon, it is important that the President see what is going on in Iraq, just like the many members of Congress who have visited over the last few weeks -- most of them expressing confidence in the troops and the mission after their return.

In addition, could you imagine the response of the leftards who are now frothing over this visit if President Bush had not broken his journey to Australia with a stop in Iraq? We'd be hearing that he is a coward, that he doesn't care about the troops, and that Iraq isn't really safe. Instead they are angry that he did stop to visit. it must be great having BDS -- no matter what W does, you can always use it as a reason to hate him!

H/T Malkin