NRO's Pollowitz falsely claimed Palin visited troops in Kuwait "a year before" Obama "felt the need to go"

Summary: National Review Online's Greg Pollowitz falsely claimed that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visited troops in Kuwait "a year before Senator [Barack] Obama felt the need to go." In fact, Obama first visited troops in Kuwait in January 2006, a year and a half before Palin's visit.

In an August 30 post on the National Review Online's Media Blog, Greg Pollowitz falsely claimed that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visited troops in Kuwait "a year before Senator [Barack] Obama felt the need to go." Noting a July 24, 2007, Alaska Public Radio Network report that "Palin today visited with a National Guard unit from Alaska serving in Kuwait," Pollowitz wrote: "Unlike Senator Obama's staged trip to the Middle East, Governor Palin went to visit the troops in Kuwait before she was ever under consideration for Veep. ... And a year before Senator Obama felt the need to go," a reference to Obama's July 2008 visit. In fact, Obama also visited troops in Kuwait in January 2006. Indeed, the Coalition Forces Land Component Command's website posted a photo of Obama "listen[ing] to a soldier voice his concerns Jan. 7 during a dinner at Camp Arifjan's Zone 6 dining facility" and a photo of Obama "driv[ing] toward the basket during a game with soldiers Jan. 7 at Camp Airifjan's Zone 1 gym."

Citing Obama's Senate office, Chicago Sun-Times Washington bureau chief Lynn Sweet noted that Obama also visited Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank on that trip. A January 9, 2006, article posted at Chicago's WLS-TV website reported that Obama's Congressional Delegation trip "has now wrapped two days in Iraq. Senator Barack Obama was among four members of Congress Sunday flying to areas outside the safety of the green zone to meet with American and Iraqi military commanders on the ground."

UPDATE: In another NRO post later on August 30, headlined "Media Matters Gets One Right," Pollowitz linked to this item and wrote, "I stand corrected."

From Pollowitz's August 30 NRO Media Blog post, titled "Obama vs. Palin":

Unlike Senator Obama's staged trip to the Middle East, Governor Palin went to visit the troops in Kuwait before she was ever under consideration for Veep:

Tue, July 24, 2007

Posted in Alaska News, Top Stories

Governor Palin today visited with a National Guard unit from Alaska serving in Kuwait. In a press conference with Alaska reporters, the governor said she had spent "an amazing day with the 297th infantry battalion and other National Guard troops."

And a year before Senator Obama felt the need to go.

—E.H.H.