Interim director of the new Iraqi intelligence service Mohammed Abdullah al-Shahwani visited the Oval Office in May 2004. ” ‘Sir, I’m going to tell you something,’ the Iraqi intelligence chief said [to President Bush and members of his cabinet]. ‘You need to know the truth. Baghdad is almost surrounded by insurgents. The situation is not improving. …If you can’t secure the airport highway, you can’t secure all of Iraq,’ Shahwani remarked. There was an awkward silence in the room. …After a few minutes, the president got up, had his picture taken with Shahwani, and exchanged a few pleasantries. Then he gave the Iraqi souvenir tie clip bearing Bush’s signature.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Michael Isikoff and David Corn, Hubris, Page 357