To Give Thanks.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

Presidency: One of the hallmarks of a great leader is the ability to surprise and inspire. President Bush's trip to Iraq to share Thanksgiving with the troops did just that.

Just when the president's many political foes thought he was losing his grip on Iraq, the president decides to take a little holiday trip -- all the way to Baghdad to have some grub with the troops that defend our country. And to give thanks.

The secretive trip was a masterstroke of presidential leadership, one that will likely reverberate through the coming year and longer.

Of course, it won't take long for the cynics to spin it differently.

Bush "lied" about his trip, they'll say, by telling reporters he was really spending Thanksgiving down on the ranch in Crawford, Texas. And the risk was too great to justify such a grandstanding gesture. It was all just a PR stunt, anyway.

But on a number of levels, it shows why Bush's nine foes for next year's presidential race face such a daunting hurdle to overcome to win the prize. His leadership is apparent; theirs isn't.

We find it hard to imagine any of those nine telling the troops, as Bush did: "We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost of casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins." It would just seem out of character.