US News - Speculation is percolating within the traveling White House press corps that President Bush may make a surprise visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan or Iraq at the end of his current Asia tour. If it happened, this would put the commander in chief in one of the war zones just before Thanksgiving. As of now, he is scheduled to return to the White House from his trip to Japan, South Korea, China, and Mongolia on Monday, then leave for his Texas ranch on Tuesday for the holiday. Reporters recall that Bush made an unannounced trip to Iraq during his first term for a quick Thanksgiving meal, and the timing could be right for another visit to demonstrate support for the troops at a time when the administration's Iraq policy is under attack from critics at home. White House officials say any unannounced visits are, well, unannounced for obvious security reasons. In other words, they won't give a definitive answer, so the press corps is left to speculate.
It would definitely be a morale booster, but it seems like last year there was all sorts of speculation about a second Thanksgiving visit and it never panned out.
So, who knows. I hope he does it though. I've never been a soldier so I can't tell you how it feels to get a visit from the commander-in-chief in the field, but I'll bet it's a rousing feeling.