Vice President Dick Cheney is in Abu Dhabi today following a two-day visit to Iraq. On Thursday, Cheney addressed a gathering of U.S. troops in Tikrit.

Vice President Dick Cheney: “Many of you have had your deployments extended, and that puts an unexpected hardship on you and your families. I want you to know the extension is vital to the mission. The Army and the country appreciate the extra burden that you carry.”

Cheney’s Mideast tour will also take him to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.