Obama draws crowds at US Embassy in Baghdad

Covering the visit of Barack Obama to Iraq was never going to be easy.
Media access was so carefully controlled that a TV crew was apparently told not to film a stand-up shot in front of a couple of Humvees outside the US Embassy in Baghdad because it might convey military endorsement of the Illinois senator. 
The press was also kept away from a meet-and-greet event “for civilian and military constituents” starring Mr Obama at the Embassy last night.
He, I subsequently learnt, bounded onto a stage to cheers from the assembled crowd in a central hall that also contains a Starbucks-style coffee bar.
Several hundred people, including State Department employees, military personnel and civilian contractors jostled one another in the standing room only gathering for a view of the Democratic presidential candidate.
Mr Obama was accompanied on stage by senators Chuck Hagel and Jack Reed, but it was evident that this was a one-man show. Mr Hagel even quipped at one point: "Jack and I were surprised so many of you came out to see the two of us."
All three men made brief remarks, each expressing their appreciation for the efforts of the military and diplomatic communities in Iraq. Mr Obama thanked "sailors, soldiers, active duty, National Guard, State Department, USAID [and] civilian contractors".
Loud cheering erupted when Mr Obama raised the possibility of his becoming the next "commander-in-chief," before adding how proud he is of the troops.
Afterwards, the White House hopeful worked the room, shaking hands and smiling for photographs. [For pictures of this event do a search for "Barack Obama in Baghdad" on www.flickr.com].
Earlier in the day there was a brief opportunity for reporters also to glimpse Mr Obama when he met Iraq’s Prime Minister at his residence in the Green Zone.  With expectations minimal, I and a couple of colleagues decided to give it a shot.

Standing under the shade of a tree with about two dozen Iraqi journalists, we waited at a pre-arranged meeting point for a bus to take us to the venue.
When it arrived the vehicle was too small to carry everyone but nobody wanted to risk waiting for a second minibus so we all crammed on board.
Several brisk security checks later, I found myself once again sitting, waiting inside the red-carpeted entrance hall to the Prime Minister’s home – it was just two days ago that I was here to catch a microscopic sighting of Gordon Brown.
An Iraqi official warned us that it could be three hours until Mr Obama showed up with his entourage.
Ever-prepared, I fished a novel (the latest James Bond adventure) out of my bag and made myself comfortable on the carpeted floor. There was soon a chance to upgrade after two female colleagues found a set of three, vacant arm chairs. 
After about 30 minutes, movement on the red carpet that stretched through the middle of the entrance hall to a pair of wooden doors, (behind which the meeting would eventually take place) prompted reporters to rush to a roped cordon on either side, cameras poised, but nothing happened.
It turned out to be the first of several false alarms.
Another hour ticked by before the first tell-tale signs of someone important arriving started to emerge as three or four American security guards, each with a curly, white strand of telephone wire attached to a radio snaking out of one ear, walked up the red carpet to survey the media crowd.
Finally at about 2pm came the sound of engines, and a line of black Suburban Chevrolets pulled up outside.
Journalists rushed like lunatics to the ropes once again; eyes, camera lenses and microphones focused on a pair of sliding glass doors through which Mr Obama would step to be greeted by a small group of Iraqi officials and led inside.
Moments later, dressed in a dark suit, the man of the moment appeared.
He shook hands with the officials, among them Ali al-Dabbagh, the Iraqi Government spokesman, and Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the National Security Advisor.
“It’s very nice to see you,” he told them.
Walking forwards into a swarm of camera flashes and questions, Mr Obama addressed the press pack with a: “Hello gentleman.” He then clocked me and the two other female reporters, quickly adding “… and ladies.”

Asked about the trip, the senator said: “Great so far”, before disappearing behind the wooden doors.
After a minute or so, journalists were invited to follow to take footage of the start of the talks. Surging through the doors and along a slim corridor, we tumbled into the meeting room.

Mr Obama was sitting next to Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi leader, a spot occupied by the British Prime Minister barely 48 hours earlier. The pair already seemed engrossed in conversation through an American-Iraqi interpreter.
Frustratingly, we were bundled out of the room before any meaningful comments could be heard. Back outside, there was nothing left to do but wait all over again.
An hour later came another mad scramble as the senator exited. Again he barely paused to acknowledge reporters, telling one, who asked him what he had learnt, from the meeting: “I will be discussing it later.”
He added: “We had a very constructive discussion.”
With that, the senator vanished inside his armoured black SUV along with Jack Reed, a Democrat, and the Republican Chuck Hagel.
We poured out behind them in time to see Mr Hagel struggling to get a flak jacket on over his head as the group prepared to speed off.
On the back of the vehicle as it pulled away was a sign in white print that typically adorns the boot of US private security and military transportation in Iraq.
“Warning, stay back 100 metres.”

As a completely, self-indulgent aside, one of my fixers just brought me copy of one of Iraq's main newspapers, Azzaman, which has a rather fetching photograph of myself and the visiting senator on its front page. That will be one for the photo album.

[[Picture 1: A shaky picture taken by me as Barack Obama arrives at the Prime Minister's residence;
Picture 2: Crammed into the media minibus en route to the residence;
Picture 3: Killing time with my James Bond book;
Picture 4: The first glimpse of the Illinois senator;
Picture 5: Media scrum as we try to get more pictures;
Picture 6: Mr Obama sits with Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister;
Picture 7: The warning sign on the back of the vehicle that the senator left in;
Picture 8: Senator Obama and Ms Haynes on the front page of Iraq's Azzaman newspaper.]

Comments

[Louise Guy]

What page are you on now in the James Bond novel then?!