He had to sneak in……wonder what the troops REALLY think about his “resignation.”

WASHINGTON — Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made a surprise trip to Iraq on Saturday, just days after a bipartisan commission called the situation there “grave and deteriorating” and said the administration’s policy wasn’t working.

“He’s there to express his appreciation to the troops and to thank both the troops and their families for the sacrifices they are making,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Todd Vician, a Defense Department spokesman.

It was Rumsfeld’s 15th trip to Iraq since the war began; he was last there in July.

Rumsfeld’s trip follows an emotional farewell Friday at the Pentagon, where the defense secretary defended his record on Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said Friday that the worst day of his nearly six years as secretary of defense occurred when he learned of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse.

Read more at the Sun Sentinel