Maybe Barack Obama finds it challenging to squeeze a troop visit into his schedule, but at least the wounded veterans at Walter Reed can rely on Iraq’s interior minister Jawad Karim al-Bolani for appreciation.

Yesterday, Bolani went the hospital’s Military Advanced Training Center and thanked U.S. troops for freeing Iraq from Saddam:

We have come … to express our gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices made by these great warriors, soldiers, in freeing the Iraqi people and in helping us in Iraq recover from tyranny and dictatorship. We also want to express our gratitude to the families of all these great men and women and express how important their sacrifices are for our nation.

I’d like to hear what the “I thought there was supposed to be candy and flowers” crowd has to say to say about that.