YOU CAN BE BOB HOPE: The Mudville Gazette explains how.

UPDATE: Looks like David Letterman is the new Bob Hope:

BAGHDAD, Iraq – With shouts of “Dave, Dave!” U.S. soldiers greeted the American late night TV show host David Letterman as he visited troops in central Baghdad on Christmas Eve.

Letterman, the host of CBS’ “Late Show,” chatted with wounded and sick soldiers in the military’s main combat hospital and met soldiers at one of Saddam Hussein’s ransacked palaces that now serves as part of the U.S.-led coalition’s headquarters. . . .

Snapping a picture, 1st Lt. Michael Gerstmyer, 24, from Baltimore, Maryland, said he was surprised at how relaxed the TV star appeared in a battle zone.

“He acts like he’s been here for years,” Gerstmyer said.

Last Christmas, Letterman visited troops in Afghanistan.

Bravo.