Nixon, Quinn take weekend trip to Iraq
Nixon walks with Brig. Gen. Gerald Lang at a base in Iraq
Gov. Jay Nixon and his Illinois counterpart joined three other governors who spent the weekend visiting military commanders and troops in Iraq and Kuwait.
Nixon announced his whereabouts in an unusual Sunday conference call with reporters. Speaking from Kuwait, he said the trip, which began with a briefing at the Pentagon on Friday, was organized by the Department of Defense.
He said the touring group included Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, as well as the governors of Texas, Minnesota and Nevada.
Nixon said his purpose was to “interact face to face with these courageous Missourians” in the National Guard, the Reserves and the regular military.
“They are doing a tremendous job under difficult conditions,” including wind, sand and 119 degree heat, he said. “These folks are stunningly committed.”
Nixon said he spent Saturday night in Baghdad and met with many Missourians serving in Iraq. He said U.S. forces are making “significant, real progress” in their mission and are “focused and upbeat.”
Their main concerns involved the high unemployment rate back home and transitioning back into civilian life, Nixon said.
Nixon said that under Defense Department rules, he could not disclose where he was going next or when he would return to Missouri.
But he said technology keeps him in constant touch with his staff, so he did not hand off the reins of government to Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.
Former Gov. John Ashcroft started that practice, keeping control rather than ceding power to then-Lt. Gov. Mel Carnahan. A court decision supported Ashcroft’s position that with modern technology, a governor can govern from afar.
How much did this “photo-op” cost the taxpayers of Missouri?