President Bush's visit to Georgia in 2005 was one of the most successful foreign trips of his presidency. He embraced the people of Georgia, and the people of Georgia embraced him.
President Bush, under the influence of Georgian food, music and high-concept schmoozing, stayed up celebrating hours past his bedtime. "I learned firsthand what it means to be fed by a Georgian," said Bush right before hitting the dance floor. Georgians were so impressed that they renamed the road to the airport George W. Bush Highway.
To the extent Europeans do hate Bush, that antipathy has been largely confined to Western Europe. President Bush is beloved in many Eastern European countries, especially in Georgia and the Ukraine, because he spoke out against Russian efforts to stifle their democratic reforms. Will President Bush now let down his friend President Mikheil Saakashvili and the Georgian people, just because the Russians would prefer a puppet be put in charge? Will Bush really let the anonymous milquetoast in the administration, who says "We just have to hope that diplomacy prevails," speak for America?
