Jolie In Iraq For UN Refugee Mission

Note to world leaders: Next time you need instant access to foreign dignitaries and top military brass, forget the usual protocols. Just send in Angelina Jolie.

Hollywood's globe-trotting leading lady swooped into Baghdad on Thursday to highlight the plight of Iraqi refugees, gaining an audience with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the American Embassy said.

On her mission as a U.N. goodwill ambassador, Jolie also met with Iraqi migration officials to stress that there needs to be a coherent plan for the more than 2 million internally displaced Iraqis who are beginning to trickle back to their homes amid a recent lull in violence.

"There's lots of goodwill and lots of discussion, but there seems to be just a lot of talk at the moment," Jolie said in excerpts of an interview aired on CNN.

Jolie mingled with American troops during lunch at a dining facility in the heavily guarded Green Zone, which houses the embassy and Iraqi government offices. She grabbed a red plastic tray at the mess hall, collected her lunch and sat at a long banquet table to eat _ her fork tines down, of course _ as flashbulbs from soldiers' digital cameras lit up the wall behind her.

During the CNN interview, Jolie said the fate of Iraq will have an impact on the Middle East for years to come.

"And a big part of what it's going to affect," she said, "is how these people are returned and settled into their homes and their community and brought back together and whether they can live together and what their communities look like."

Comments

[UltraClassic]

It's time for Areanna to go to Iraq. She seems to know so much about the place as do most Huff-O-Matics. I'd like to see her go head to head with the good general of there.

[ultrabop]

sounds like you're a huff-a-republican

[hulka37]

Well, there are a lot of tents being pitched all over Bagdad today I'm sure.

[mrvertigo]

anyone cam say what they will about brad pitt and angelina jolie but what you cannot say is that they don't care. they along w/other countless people put themselves on the line for justice and humanity and for that they surely rock!!!
really where are you w/your cynicism and apathy? where am i? where is everyone today?
in the future our children's children will ask: what did you do?
me has to become we.
get out and vote!!! and dammit: do something good for someone else today.

[Ihaveadream]

If Ms. Jolie's current obsession of saving the world has positive effects on the shit sandwich that the US has created in Iraq and elsewhere - great. I don't give a rats ass if she adopts 100 kids and has a nanny for each (which she does now)

Sad to say but it wasn't until Rock Hudson died of AIDS and the world and the US put a celebrity face on that tragedy that our Hollywood, actor president Ronnie Reagan even acknowledged that there was such a thing - OOOOOOOO something that you get from gay sex - WRONG as millions have died in Africa and all over the globe, leaving countless orphans. In 1981, Reagan and his sycophants to the "moral majority" ignored this when the window - RR's window of opportunity - was still open to figure out what AIDS was and the epidemiology of the disease so that millions might have been saved.

So, if a celebrity face can help this mess I'll take all I can get.

[WilliamWallace]

What is up with the "tattoo" portion of the obsession with the phrase "tatooed celebrities"? Damn, what a shallow argument.

Is that to say that the appearance of a tattoo immediately brings shallowness or a lack of intelligence? If so, I really fear for the election..­..it's not the candidates who concern me, as much as those who vote.

[booker52]

Does this woman have a home?? Does she knows where she lives?? Do I care that she is over in Iraq? Do the good people of Iraq care?? I don't think so. I know I don't. I bet her children would like her to stay home and care for them like she seems to think she has to care for the world!!!!

[mrvertigo]

surely you are an idiot. narcissistic, self-centered and insipid. what have you done for your community? for another, a stranger, somehwere else in this world we share?
booker 52, surely you are lost.
go away.

[cynic]

Wow.
Big tits overcome the loss of freedom everywhere.

Mukasey _testifies_ that he will not investigate the three admitted instances of torture conducted by the United States government because somebody said it was legal.

The Rule of Law is over in our country and all Huffpo can do is bray on about an actress.

What will Huffpo do when they're TOLD not to do even that???

Bye Bye Freedom...
Bye Bye Liberty...

Say hello to the perpetual Bush regime.
There will be no elections in November.

Say hello to the new state.

[OhPlease2007]

Hey, if Jolie can crack the whip to make the Iraqi government­(rim-shot)­get their sh*t together, so our brave troops can finally bug-out of Iraq and come home, ... I say nominate Angelina for president!

Jolie '08! - The only honest change America is probably ever going to see from this '08 election!

[oneofsixbillion]

I think what Angelina & Brad are doing is great! More people of wealth with available time should be using their privileges to give back. She sets a fine example of humanity. Before you point a finger at her, ask yourself..­. what are you doing to make this world cleaner, safer, and more livable for us and future generations? Realize 1.5 billion people on this planet live in abject poverty. Its not a liberal, republican, or American question? Its a question about what kind of world do you want to live in for yourself as well as for others? I say, "good on you" Angelina & Brad!

[sammy333]

Doing good things like Angelina/UN are allowed to do is important and noble, but fighting evil that brought destabilization, deaths, suffering, exile to the Iraqi people is much more important.

Speaking about what the neocons-in-power have done, overcoming the war-adoring voice of the mainstream media, is what needs to be done too. Look at the confidence and popularity of John-perpe­tual-war-M­cCain. Bush had to hide it in 2000, McCain is proudly exposing his deadly agenda.

[HippieChick]

"Jolie's itinerary included meetings with the top U.S. commander in Iraq Gen. David Petraeus, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Iraqi migration officials during her visit"

Angelia Jolie didn't just call these people up and say "let's chat" and make an appointment. There is obviously a high level of respect for the contributions she has made to humanitarian causes, and this woman gets much credit from me for being more brave than I could ever be by going into that disasterous and very dangerous quagmire that is Iraq. Who else has addressed the refugee crisis in Iraq? Certainly not the American "leaders" who created it. Very little has been said to date, yet the uprooted and desperate citizens of Iraq are an extremely serious issue. Our "leaders" have made quite a mess and are despised for their actions; it is irony that it takes a concerned civilian citizen to even attempt to generate good will.

[PinaPopper]

Celebrities think they are soooo important. Who cares what she thinks about the Middle East. Stick to acting which is the only thing she is good at. Oh and stealing other people's husbands.

[k8k9]

With all due respect PP, are you here to tell us what you've contributed to the issues you cite? Your impertinence seems a bit shallow considering the fact that she and Brad have been volunteering their time and money to causes all over the world for a long time. And are you certain she "stole" Brad away from his wife? Jennifer and her best friend, Courtney Cox were both quoted as saying they knew he did not cheat on Jennifer. Besides, people aren't stolen. He was the one with the commitment to Jennifer and he certainly made a choice to leave his marriage. Stealing someone is called kidnapping.

[mrvertigo]

pine pooper, again is that all you have to say. "celebrities think they are...? " from what idiocy spawned thee?
you're morally outraged that she's "stealing other peoples husbands?" is that what you fear or is that what happened to you?
check in, get help and unlike brittany, stay there!

[PinaPopper]

Pinapooper­......lol

You are so clever! I hope to be as funny as you someday

[PinaPopper]

Oh and by the way I am happily married with 1 year old twin boys. I just don't like home wreckers. I do also fault Mr. Pitt as well.

[NeverRepublican]

Exactly...­stick with "pretending" to be something on screen.

[Pookie2112]

Unlike you "pretending" you're a human being, right?

[FlaExRepub]

Whoever stole dora's husband,

please return him!

[grisgris]

Where's your compassion? Let that poor man run far, far away!

[research]

Angelina: what a caring person your are, you are wonderful!

[mi]

Angelina seems to be a class act,is that a
problem?
Her heart is in the right place.

[FirstShirt]

Her heart may be in the right place but her head is somewhere else. Who do these airheaded publicity hounds think they are? Stay out of the middle east politics and send your messages by your publicist through news releases.

[politicsnut]

FirstShirt,
YOU ARE THE AIRHEAD!!!!!!
TRy to do something courageous in your life instead of blogging to criticize her.

[ShockandAutism]

I bet she's doing more for the betterment of the world than you are, or would even if you had her publicity.