***11:52am update: “The Pelosi delegation visited the heavily fortified Green Zone, site of the American Embassy, and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. “We come out of the meeting with a greater understanding of the others’ point of view,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said, in brief remarks after the meeting.”***

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Reuters reports:

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an outspoken critic of U.S. President George Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq, arrived in Baghdad on Friday for talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials.

Will she talk with troops outside the IZ? No word.

Accompanying Pelosi: John Murtha and Tom Lantos. They’ll all be back on Monday.

Kathryn Lopez sez:

That should be some morale boost for the American troops there trying to handle the “situation.”

The Dem delegation won’t have time to take many pictures on their visit, but recent embed Bill Ardolino has posted a new gallery of life with the troops in Fallujah. Don’t miss.

***

Meanwhile, the Senate has unanimously confirmed Army Gen. David Petraeus as the next commander of U.S. forces in Iraq:

Widely regarded as one the army’s brightest commanders, Petraeus, who was confirmed on a vote of 81-0, told senators earlier this week that the situation in Iraq was “dire” but not hopeless.

Betsy Newmark notes some cognitive dissonance:

Isn’t this a bit of cognitive dissonance? The Democrats on this committee and in the Senate condemn the plan that Petraeus put together. They’re willing to vote (in a nonbinding way, of course) to voice their disapproval of this plan. But they’re approving the guy who devised the plan and is going to head on over there to put it in action. And they wish him Godspeed as they do so. If they’re so against this plan, why approve the guy who developed it and wants to implement it?

Next up: Adm. Fallon.

Next Tuesday, the committee plans to hear from Navy Adm. William Fallon, Bush’s pick to replace Gen. John Abizaid as the top commander in the Middle East. Casey, nominated to be the next Army chief of staff, is expected to testify on February 1.

Fallon is expected to testify next Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services.

***

President Bush reminds everyone who’s still the boss:

President Bush, on a collision course with Congress over Iraq, said Friday “I’m the decision-maker” about sending more troops to the war. He challenged skeptical lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his buildup.

“I’ve picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed,” Bush said in an Oval Office meeting with senior military advisers.

The president had strong words for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who are lining up to support resolutions opposing his decision to send 21,500 troops to Iraq. He challenged them to put up their own ideas.

“I know there is skepticism and pessimism and that some are condemning a plan before it’s even had a chance to work,” the president said. “They have an obligation and a serious responsibility therefore to put up their own plan as to what would work.”

Despite doubts in Congress and among the public about his strategy, Bush said lawmakers agree that failure in Iraq would be a disaster and that he chose a strategy that he and his advisers thought would help turn the tide in Iraq.

The president met with Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, newly confirmed by the Senate to command U.S. troops in Iraq.

“My instruction to him was `Get over to the zone as quickly as possible, and implement a plan that will achieve our goals,’” Bush said.

“You’re going into an important battle in the war on terror,” he told Petraeus.

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