Why did Bush go to Iraq today?

Today, George W. Bush made a suprise visit to Iraq.

Why?

The press seemed to think that he went there primarily to meet in person with General David Petraus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq. This month Petraus will be delivering a report on the situation in Iraq in the wake of the troop surge. (The report, however, is allegedly being written not by Petraus but by the White House.)

While in Iraq today, Bush promised the troops that some of them could go home if security conditions improve in Iraq.

That's a really big "if". After all, we've been there for four and a half years, and security conditions have gone steadily downhill for most of that time. I can't imagine that Bush's troop surge could have cured that syndrome to any real extent. But, of course, Bush isn't concerned with what's real.

I suspect that Bush staged this photo op to start building some momentum for the so-called "Petraus report", which will elaborate on Bush's fantasy-induced assessment of how great things are going in Iraq.

Propaganda is one thing, but toying with our troops is quite another. Today Bush tells them to their faces that they might be able to go home soon. But he attaches a huge caveat. He makes promises to the troops that he might not be able to keep. That's just mean.

So what will he tell them when they're back in Iraq for a third, fourth, or fifth tour of duty? Nothing? More lame promises? Does it even matter?