Published July 22, 2010

Gov. Deval Patrick in a C-130 on Wednesday

Gov. Deval Patrick made a surprise trip to Iraq on Wednesday. (His schedule is not being disclosed, so we don’t know when the governor will return.)

My question is, Why? What is worth the time and expense of a governor’s top-secret trip to Iraq?

In a statement, a spokesman said:

There are currently over 1,100 Massachusetts National Guard troops deployed in the region. The Governor serves as Commander in Chief of the Massachusetts National Guard, and felt it was important to check on our servicemen and women in harm’s way and to be briefed on the progress of their mission.

Patrick has no bearing on foreign policy, and there is nothing he can’t learn about our troops on the ground from his advisers. Can anyone tell me the benefit of these trips? It seems highly political — and an advantage his campaign rivals don’t have.