Baghdad, Iraq ? President Bush’s surprise visit to Iraq was the talk of Baghdad Friday, with many Iraqis asking why he didn’t take advantage of his trip to see firsthand how his rule has treated them.

Many complained that Bush met with few Iraqis during his secret, two-hour stay Thursday evening and never left the grounds of a heavily fortified U.S. base. Several called the trip an electoral stunt, and took offense that he would use their country as his stage.

“He visited Iraq for the sake of the Americans, not the Iraqis. He didn’t come to see how we are doing,” Muzher Abd Hanush, 54, said in his barbershop. “To come, say hello and leave — what good does that do?”

U.S. forces in Iraq generally took the trip as a morale boost, and praised their commander in chief for what they called a courageous move.

“It’s an extremely admirable gesture. It’s really a good example as a leader,” Capt. Craig Childs, of Galveston, Texas, said at his base in the northern city of Tikrit. “It’s a bold statement that he’s confident of the job we’re doing here to come within the enemy’s reach.”

But among Iraqis generally disappointed in the U.S.-led occupation, the trip swayed few opinions.

Some people applauded what they called a bold move and expressed vague hopes that it would help bring security, political stability and jobs to their war-shattered country. But they stressed it was results — not a photo opportunity — that would boost Bush’s popularity here.

“If he takes care of Iraq, he will be welcomed here. If not — whether he’s here or in the White House — he is of no use to us,” said Fadel Hadi, 59, playing dominoes at a teahouse. “If his visit brings us some good, he will be welcome every day.”

Ahmed Kheiri, 24, saw the visit as a campaign tactic.

“He came for the sake of the elections,” Kheiri said. “He never thought of the Iraqi people. He doesn’t care about us. It was a personal visit for his own sake.”

Iraqi politicians had mixed reactions to the visit. Mouwafik al-Rubei’e, a member of the U.S.-appointed Governing Council who met Bush on Thursday night, said the president “reaffirmed his country’s commitment to building a new, democratic and prosperous Iraq.”

Another member of the Governing Council, Mahmoud Othman, said the trip meant little.

“We cannot consider Bush’s arrival at Baghdad International Airport yesterday a visit to Iraq,” he said. “He did not meet with ordinary Iraqis. Bush was only trying to boost the morale of his troops.”

Indeed, many Iraqis questioned how the trip could possibly help improve their dire situation. Eight months after the U.S. invasion, Iraqis complain they still have few jobs, little security and no political representation.

Bush’s visit was spent entirely on the grounds of Baghdad International Airport, a 15-square-mile complex heavily guarded by U.S. troops. He flew in under complete secrecy, keeping his plans even from his own parents, whom he had invited to his Texas ranch for Thanksgiving dinner.

News of his visit didn’t emerge until he had left Iraq, and given the power outages in some Baghdad neighborhoods Thursday night, that meant many Iraqis didn’t hear about it until Friday.

While U.S. troops called the trip courageous, some Iraqis saw it as cowardly.

“The way he made the trip shows he’s afraid of Iraqis,” said Mohammed Kamel, 40, a former soldier who now drives a taxi. “He should be; we’re a fierce people.”