U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales made a heavily guarded surprise visit to Iraq Sunday, praising the government's commitment to democracy in the face of sustained deadly attacks by insurgents. Gonzales, on his first trip to Iraq, said he chose the weekend of the U.S. Independence Day holiday to show support for U.S. troops and Iraq's nascent government. "We are doing a lot to promote democracy and the rule of law," Gonzales said aboard an Air Force plane en route to the Middle East. His predecessor, John Ashcroft, did not visit the country while attorney general. Gonzales was meeting with U.S. soldiers, Justice Department officials working in Iraq and his counterparts in the Iraqi government.
