Shameless pre-election photo-op. If there had been any real risk, his régime wouldn't have let him go. They still need him as front-man, Cheney would be too obvious.

Clearly he can't go to all the funerals. But maybe he should promise to go to that of the thousandth US fatality, which sadly looks like it could well be before the election. That should give him a powerful incentive to start doing something serious to make sure that funeral never happens.