Huntsman, McCain gauge Iraq progress; Guv thanks Utah's soldiers

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said Saturday in Baghdad that he is visiting Iraq and Utah troops to help emphasize the milestones and progress being made there and to communicate how news of such progress bolsters unity in government.

The Utah governor thanked Sen. John McCain for bringing leaders who represent divergent views and different parts of the United States to visit Iraq. He and Republican Govs. Bob Riley of Alabama and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota gave brief statements at an afternoon news conference Saturday in Baghdad.

A U.S. Embassy official, speaking on the phone from Iraq, played a recording of Huntsman's remarks for the Deseret Morning News. The governor recalled how McCain, R-Ariz., thanked the media for being in Iraq and how he was "delighted" to be with a free press.

"I thought that was a very telling comment," Huntsman said in his comments.

Huntsman — who is also commander in chief of the Utah National Guard — told the media he was in Iraq to thank Utah soldiers, many of whom are there for their third deployment.

One of those soldiers was Maj. Shawn Mecham, who grew up in Logan, where his parents still live. While working at Hill Air Force Base, Mecham had met Huntsman on the campaign trail in 2004.

"It really means a lot to me personally," Mecham said via telephone about meeting the governor again. "I thanked him profusely for his support, for coming here and seeing us, for seeing the truth and what's happening here.

"There is so much good that is going on — the assistance that we're rendering daily to Iraqi people," Mecham added.

Mecham, in Iraq for a second time, said Iraqi men are getting jobs, schools are being built complete with a sanitary water supply and there is hope in the eyes of Iraqis — hope that people in the United States don't get to see in photographs of car bombs and carnage.

Mecham, who now works in the media operations center for the Multi-National Force-Iraq, and about 12 other Utahns met Huntsman while in a lounge of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The governor talked about how well Utah has been represented in Iraq and how the state's job market and economy continue to grow.

Huntsman also said during the press conference that it is helpful for people in Iraq to hear "evolving" opinions from people in the United States.