Bush to make Tampa visit

In November, President George W. Bush tried to sell a Sun Dome crowd on a relatively new plan that he said could result in a necessary war with Iraq.

Today, that war is nearly a week old, and tomorrow the president returns to Tampa to rally public support for it.

Bush will visit MacDill Air Force Base Wednesday, as part of the military’s Central Command headquarters, to speak with military personnel as troops enter the war’s most critical stages.

Bush is expected to arrive in Tampa aboard Air Force One at 10:25 a.m. to address the Air Force base and CentCom community. A military briefing and lunch with military personnel and families is scheduled to follow, according to the White House.

This will be Bush’s 13th visit to Florida since his inauguration and, beside a weekend trip to Camp David, this will be his first time traveling since he called for military action.

Bush came to the USF Sun Dome on Nov. 3 to support Gov. Jeb Bush before the gubernatorial election. It is unknown whether Bush will meet with the governor during his visit.

Bush is scheduled to leave Tampa sometime before noon to return to Washington.

CentCom is one of nine combatant commands assigned control of U.S. combat forces.

Gen. Tommy Franks, commander in chief for CentCom, is operating the war in Iraq from a base in Qatar.