Give thanks

The old adage about tourists who travel without ever experiencing the country they visit also applies to world statesmen. George Bush becomes the first US President to visit Iraq in order to provide the television pictures required by his re-election campaign for Thanksgiving. And in order to beat Hillary Rodham Clinton, his undeclared Democratic opponent, who is on her way to Baghdad from Afghanistan.

Memo to Mr William Hill: how do the odds on Tony Blair arriving in Basra this Christmas compare with those on a snowflake on the roof of the Met office?