Curious George

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TALK ABOUT A SECURITY NIGHTMARE. IN THE FINAL sprint of a peripatetic presidency, George Bush arrived in Mogadishu just as armed thugs were returning to the streets. "I doubt if any American President has ever visited a nation in such turmoil and such a state of anarchy," said Colonel Fred Peck, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition. Bush waved off the threat with characteristic thumbs-up bravado, stating improbably, "It's perfectly safe."

All the same, U.S. Marines stepped up security checks and erected razor-wire barriers around the sites Bush toured during his sweep through the capital, Baidoa and Bale Dogle. Troops also accelerated their search for concealed weapons.

Bush landed just four days after Somalia's two top warlords staged a splashy joint appearance to announce the opening of the "green line" dividing Mogadishu's northern and southern sectors. But only a few hours later, warring clans exchanged unusually heavy mortar and artillery fire.