Jo's Cafe

Unfortunately, the SGM didn’t get to shake his hand or get any closer than 600 feet. He did say they saw Marine 1 fly over where they were doing an awards ceremony.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan – President Bush made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday, flying here secretly to support its fledging government in the face of rising violence from al-Qaida and Taliban militants.

Bush made a detour from a trip to India for a five-hour visit here that was not announced officially until Air Force One landed at this sprawling military base north of Kabul.

The White House wanted to conceal Bush’s presence to reduce the risk of any attempt on his life. But word of his visit leaked shortly before he landed.

From Bagram, Bush was to go to the presidential place in Kabul for a meeting Hamid Karzai, the U.S.-backed leader.

The president also was to preside over a ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the U.S. Embassy. Before leaving Afghanistan, Bush was to get a pep talk to troops back at Bagram Air Base.

and

KABUL, Afghanistan – In a surprise visit under extraordinary security, President Bush expressed unwavering confidence Wednesday that Osama Bin Laden will be captured despite years of fruitless manhunts for the elusive terrorist leader who ran training camps in Afghanistan and plotted the deadly attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Bush ordered Air Force One, on a flight to India, to make a secret detour to this war-scarred country to show U.S. support for the fledgling democracy led by President Hamid Karzai, whose authority has been weakened by suicide bombings and rising violence by insurgents.

There are more than 18,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and Bush said their mission was “to help this new democracy not only survive but to flourish.”

The president, who once boasted bin Laden would be taken “dead or alive,” said the fugitive terrorist would not elude the United States forever. Bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Omar were driven into hiding by the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. They are believed to be in the rugged Pakistan-Afghan border region.

Mensa Barbie has a post on this here with pictures.