The market was safe enough and "the Republican presidential hopeful said he would have walked through the Bab al-Sharqi market in Baghdad without the military protection."
Meanwhile, Iraqis marched to take note of the fall of Saddam and, of course, strewed roses on the ground in gratitude for the presence of American troops.
"No, no to the occupier. Yes, yes, to Iraq," they chanted, as demonstrators burned and ripped apart American flags. "Get out, get out occupation."
Others celebrated in their own way. One Iraqi who was pictured four years ago helping to tear down Saddam's statue had this to say:
"We got rid of a tyrant and tyranny. But we were surprised that after one thief had left, another 40 replaced him," said Jubouri, who is a Shiite Muslim. "Now, we regret that Saddam Hussein is gone, no matter how much we hated him."
Such was the extent of the appreciation in Baghdad for America's intervention that "vehicles were not allowed near Monday’s march, and in Baghdad there was daylong ban on traffic to prevent outbreaks of violence."
Somewhere out there (but nowhere near Iraq, you can bet), Dick Cheney is growling, "mission accomplished."