George Bush stopped off at Shannon last night to refuel on the way to his 'surprise' visit to Afghanistan. During his brief time on the ground, he held a rally for some of the 20,000 U.S. troops who transit Shannon monthly, moving into or out of Iraq. The reported cost to the Irish Exchequer, for this single visit, is €300,000 to cover Army and Gardaí deployments. On what basis does a foreign commander-in-chief address his troops in a combat role on the soil of 'neutral' Ireland? I look forward to the Dáil debates later this week.