Thoughts 10 Jun 2007 01:44 pm
Bush is a hero –but only in Albania
On his visit to Albania, President Bush was given a hero’s welcome.
Albania is a staunch ally in America’s “war on terror” and Mr Bush met Albanian soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
President Bush reiterated his support for the UN’s plan for Kosovo’s independence, adding it was time to “get moving” despite opposition from Russia.
You’ll never guess what Putin’s position is on this subject.
The President brought up the subject of Kosovo because a large portion of the population are ethnic Albanians.
According to Bush:
“The question is whether there’s going to be endless dialogue on a subject that we’ve already made up our mind on,” he said, after meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha. (I just noticed the phrase “our mind,” –first person singular– )
“We need to get moving and the end result is independence,” he added.
I love the use of the royal “We,” because President Putin hasn’t agreed to anything, except in the most general of terms.
Albania backs the US-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. It has tripled its troop numbers in Afghanistan to 140, and has about 120 troops in Iraq.
Every day it feels more and more like the bad old days. It looks like the cold war was merely on vacation.
I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but, if we’re not getting our butts kicked, why are big armies like the Brits pulling out, while we see Bush standing tall in countries that are smaller than my living room, and how many billions did fewer than 300 troops cost us.