Politics

Day 78: Obama Makes Surprise Visit To Iraq

By Brian Montopoli

April 7, 2009 / 7:30 PM EDT / CBS News

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

On his seventy-eight day in office, President Obama made an unannounced stop in Iraq to speak to U.S. troops, military leaders, and the Iraqi leadership.

The president said Iraqis "need to take responsibility for their own country," adding, "It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis."

He also told cheering troops that they "have performed brilliantly in every mission that has been given to you." (Read the full transcript>.)

Before heading to Iraq, the president addressed college students in Turkey, promising the students of the Muslim nation that they "will find a partner and a friend in the United States of America."

"I am personally committed to a new chapter in American engagement," he said. "We can't afford to talk past one another and focus only on our differences, or to let the walls of mistrust go up around us."

Check out CBS Evening News coverage of the president's day below.