[Update just below fold]
Vice President Cheney is off on one of his trademark "shrouded in mystery" trips to the Middle East today:
US Vice President Dick Cheney leaves Tuesday on a four-country visit of the Middle East, looking to shore up support for Iraq among its neighbors and increase pressure on Iran, US officials say.
Cheney's May 8-14 trip to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan comes amid tensions between the United States and its staunch Saudi allies over Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's fragile government.
BooMan called this trip a "stunningly bad idea" and other news outlets have wondered "What can Cheney bring to the region that Rice couldn't?"
Everything Cheney does is shrouded in secrecy, but after some fairly extensive google-mining, I think I can guess with about 65% confidence why the Vice President is taking this trip.