Regarding the congressional tours of Iraq and the gushing

[zbdent]

I have seen numerous Repug congressmen lamenting in the Congressional record (and some other places) about how nobody is hearing about what they saw.

In fact, most of their lamentations sound so alike that it appears that they are reading the same script.

Along the lines of "Everywhere I went, there were new books in happy kids' bookbags, electricity is going, cancer is cured," etc.

A few thoughts occurred to me.

First, these people are being led around by an armed guard, and one video clip I saw of visiting officials had them wearing bulletproof vests. Yeah, an armed guard makes you feel secure.

Second, do you remember the cliches from the old westerns, "Dance, pardner!"? Somebody wouldn't dance like that unless somebody else was shooting at their feet. Yeah, a couple of hours before the visitors show up, here comes the prep guard handing out junk like a NRA lobbyists at a Republican convention. And the kids are told to smile. Too bad they didn't have rose petals.

Lastly, I've been to Jamaica on a cruise. Beautiful area. At least where the tourists go. I also hear there's a few nice places to stay there. I also would be deathly afraid to go anywhere not within sight of the grounds. Being white, I would probably stand out as a tourist and be a prime target for some local shenanigans at best. I get that impression with these congressional visits, especially by Repukes. Show them the happy places, and get them to talk about how wonderful it has become. I'm sure there were plenty of Germans in 1942 who had wonderful table manners when they weren't at the death camps.