Posted on 02/24/2005 2:38:34 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
President Bush won an enthusiastic welcome in Slovakia Thursday, the first warm public reception of his European tour, underscoring a divide within Europe between the west and newly democratic east.
The contrast could not have been greater between Germany, where Bush's visit drew 12,000 protesters Wednesday, and Slovakia, where a crowd of about 4,000 braved blowing snow to cheer and applaud during an open-air speech.
Bush then took his first plunge into a crowd on the last day of a five-day European tour and was swamped by enthusiastic Slovaks for several minutes as he made his way off the old town square.
"He's the head of the world's superpower. In my opinion, it is good for Slovakia to be friends with such a big and strong country," said Stefan Ilavsky, 45, a clerk who took a six-hour train trip from eastern Slovakia to be at the speech.
"We were pleased that he and America realized the importance of our Velvet Revolution," said a student named Petra, referring to Bush's praise for pro-democracy protests that ended communist rule in what was then Czechoslovakia.
A handful of protesters at the back of the square held up anti-Iraq war banners and Greenpeace environmental activists also demonstrated nearby.
But the bulk of the crowd roared repeated approval when Bush praised Slovaks for ending communism at home and helping what he called the fight for liberty abroad by sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan.
They also cheered loudly when Bush promised to work on easing visa requirements for visits to the United States, a top demand from Slovakia and other eastern states, whose citizens face more stringent visa rules than western European tourists.
Bush was in Bratislava for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a European tour aimed at patching up differences over the Iraq war.
Slovakia is part of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq that includes much of eastern Europe, while Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was a leader of European Union opposition to the war to oust Saddam Hussein.
Bush's strongest European support in Iraq has come from former Soviet bloc states like Slovakia as well as Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary, most of whom are now members of NATO and the European Union.
So much for European class.
It should be the other way around: make it harder for western Europeans to visit the US.
This makes me feel a very warm spot in my heart. God bless the Slovakian people!
This makes me feel a very warm spot in my heart. God bless the Slovakian people!
Amazing. Just amazing. I think Bush is a great President. I support him in all ways, including financially, but no way woul I take a six hour train ride to see him...
French and German jealousy and self pity must be a terrible burden to bear........
What about all those western European leaders scrambling to get their picture taken with the REAL leader like they were kids trying to get near the star jock at their High School??
(Hope you don't mind that I stole your perfect image, lawgirl. :o)
The people of Western Europe have had their measure of freedom long enough to take it for granted, not so for Eastern Europe, who still has Soviet bootprints on their necks.
Great stuff!
An NRO story about Reagan at the Berlin Wall said, "The and picked crowd was there to cheer and the subway station had been closed." Referring to the not very happy EU types of the 80s that protested against the USA, our cruise missiles</p>
Bush would have had the same, adoring, crowds IF Germany wanted him to have them.
During my trip to the University of Brno, Czechoslovakia,
I met some great people.
The Russians had invaded before I visited.
The Joke going around was "There is no difference between Russia and America".
You can go in front of the White House, shake your fist and say "The president of the USA is no good".
We can go down to the Kremlin, shake our fist and say "The president of the USA is no good".
This was about 1970.
Our neighbors are from Slovakia.....they love Ronald Reagan, he personally wrote them a letter when in office years ago...I'm not sure about what but they think he was
a great man....and oh boy do these people love their "umpa" parties:-)
I visited Bratislava when it was still under Communist rule...the city was drab and run-down looking. I talked to a woman from Austria who said the Soviet occupation zone in Vienna had looked like that when the Russians were there...nobody fixed things up. I suspect Bratislava looks much nicer now since the end of Communism.
"I notice Dzurinda stayed very close to President Bush and touched him whenever he could. He looked almost starstruck."
Well it was cold outside.
There is no question in my mind that if I could choose which scene to support, I'd pick an enthusiastic reception from a new democracy to one from a tired old nation. That President Bush is the recipient makes it just that much sweeter.
:-) Reagan used to use that joke a lot.
Bush is giving him the old, "The hell you say, you must take me for a fool" look.
Thanks, I did not know Gregor Mendel was from Brno.
A lot of the people I met had kin living in Texas and I carried back a lot of letters to be mailed to them.
I enjoyed the story of the Dragon of Brno. It looked like a crocodile.
This was my first trip to a communist country and the first time I met smart, well educated and hard working people that were very poor.
LOL...Memo to Chirac: "Don't mess with Texas."
":-) Reagan used to use that joke a lot"
Maybe He stole it from me.:)
Being the old veteran of show-biz and the rubber chicken circuit that he was, I'm sure he stole it from someone. :)
Kind of puts the claims Europe is dead to the test huh? I've seen a number of columns remarking that theme, pessimistic about its future. Well Europe has new blood in the mix and I, for one, think that is going to do them a world of good. They've forgotton freedom. These countries still cherish it as it is so new.
Thank you to our friends in the former Soviet Block! Thank you for the friendship, thank you for your support, and thank you for treating our President kindly.
And did you notice that Schroeder was on the last row, far left behind some tall guy, and no one talked to him? I got quite a chuckle out of that.
Of course, Chirac edged in the front row trying to be an equal to President Bush (which he isn't).
Hehe! NO problem OWF. It has ALWAYS struck me- from the very first days of the Dose- when all these leaders would have terrible things to say about W and then would practically stomp each other into mudholes to get to him first when it came time for photo ops. It's a mystery. :)
So true. The people of Eastern Europe still reverently visit the memorials to Nazi slaughters and weep. How could Germany have forgotten?
I had the same experience in Belarus. I heard GW mention today that someday the people in Belarus would have freedom or something to that effect. Well you know what? They don't need any help. They are educated, friendly and capable of making their own decisions as to democracy. It's true that Lukashenko's elections are not entirely fair, and dissenters and rivals tend to get knocked around. Also they still have a remnant of the KGB, which somewhat limits the would-be Ward Churchill types (not sure that's completely a bad thing). However they are smart, skilled and by the way, they are not disarmed. If the people felt they were living under unbearable tyranny and could not accomplish their aims at the ballot box, they'd carry Lukashenko out in a box within a week. Plus, as someone who has had Belarusian kids stay here for years, I can tell you that they basically like where they live, they want to go home, and I only wish my own kids had their schools. Democracy is something that cannot be imposed by force. Let people decide their own destiny. People might be surprised to find that someone who only makes $50 a month for an educated profession does not necessarily want to live here or become like here. If we truly believe in freedom and democracy, leave people alone and let them handle their own affairs. They certainly did in Ukraine...and nothing we did would have changed a thing.
Once again proves how East Europe is good while west/old europe just plain sucks.
He is showing the loony leaders of Old Europe how much guts he has by doing that.
"Pull MY Finger!" deserves to be the next cover of National Review, Weekly Standard, or American Spectator:)
"Democracy is something that cannot be imposed by force."
I don't disagree with your larger points. Wherever possible, we should allow for nations to move towards democracy on their on accord, however, you forget your history - Democracy was imposed on Germany, Japan, Italy, & Iraq by force. It can be done, but is a much more difficult way to go.
Iraq is...well, a unique case. As much as I support our troops and Bush, my jury is still out on whether we should have gone there at all. It's a ballsy roll of the dice, and it may pay off bigtime...or it may all subside to another Islamic hellhole. Islam is the chaos factor here that was not involved in the Axis powers. We'll try, and hope, and see what cooks out.
But ex-Soviet countries like Ukraine and Belarus and Slovakia, they are neither Islamic hellholes nor dangerous spreading powers. They differ from us mainly in income level and quality of cable TV. We shouldn't mess with them. The very best thing we can do for them is to communicate with them and be friends with them. They read Pravda, y'know? The old farts think we're the dangerous ones, and the youngsters have the internet, so they know the truth about things, and they know they have the power to change their destiny any way they want. Leave them alone, and be their friends. Don't believe everything they print in the New York Pravda (I know you don't, LOL).
"Iraq is...well, a unique case. As much as I support our troops and Bush, my jury is still out on whether we should have gone there at all."
Post WWII democracy was imposed in a very deliberate way just as communism was imposed in the east in a very deliberate way. The difference with Iraq is that the Axis countries did dabble in democracy before the war.
As to the jury being out on Iraq, the axiom holds true that if it is successful, it will be the greatest foreign policy achievement since Roosevelt. If it fails, Bush is a goat for all time. The president has guts, if anything.
Your point contrasting a spreading power and Islamic, fascist hellholes with the non-expansionist, ex-Soviet bloc nations is well taken. We stand where we need to, like in Ukraine, but for the most part, I think these nations are making their way in the right direction. Some faster than others.
In my 1992 visit, we missed our train in the little town of Levoca. When we were able to communicate to the station master that we were Americans and we had missed our train, the folks at the station brought out rum and pastry and insisted on being photographed with us before making sure we got on the right train. I thought to myself at the time that there were very few places on the planet where all anyone knew about you was that you were an American and you did not speak their language and you would get that kind of treatment!
I appreciate you comments on #38. Slovaks are great people. They do have their own minds. Believe me, my grandma did. Greatest lady I ever met.
My Slovak grandma wanted to buy some swamp property in Florida back in the late 40's. Everyone in the family laughed. Today, it is Doral Country Club.
His statue is opposite the monastery in question, which they refer to by its German name, the Ko"nigin-Kloster, originally a Cistercian nunnery but since 1782 taken over by the Augustinians.
According to another source, Mendel was born in Heinzedorf, Austria.
I don't know what happened to the copy I read but I think there are libraries with a copy, so it may be possible to get on interlibrary loan.
Mr. President, instead of casting pearls before swine by befriending and supporting the nasty Canadians and Mexicans, I vote for supporting and befriending the Slovaks and Poles and others who actually like and respect us. To do otherwise is simply being taken for a punching bag, while our nation could do wonders to put these new democracies on a firm footing for the future. It's time for some new thinking in this direction.
Thanks for the tip. I'll look for the book.
Taller, but MUCH smaller.........
Wonder why all these sophisticated Euros want to be photographed with such a stupid cowboy.
(Maybe because the 'cowboy' is going down in the history books as one of the strongest leaders the world has ever known??)
Ya gotta love it when the leader of the free world smirks at an EU meeting.................but at least he didn't giggle. :o)
When the Communists began the first Five Year Plan in Czechoslovakia, the man picked to be in charge of implementing it in one village happened to be illiterate. Since he didn't understand what the Five Year Plan was all about, he went to the big city to talk to an official. The official tried to give him some literature to read, but he explained that he was illiterate.
The official was stumped for a moment, but then called the man over to his office window and pointed out the window.
"Do you see that streetcar?" he asked. "The Five Year Plan means that five years from now, instead of one streetcar, there will be one hundred streetcars. Now do you understand what the Five Year Plan is all about?"
The man nodded and went back to his village.
He called a number of the men of the village to his office to explain the Five Year Plan. He motioned for them to come over to the window. But when he looked out the window, he didn't see any streetcars, because it was just a small village and there weren't any streetcars. But then he saw a beggar walking down the street.
So he turns to the men in his office and says, "Do you see that beggar? The Five Year Plan means that five years from now, instead of one beggar, we'll have hundreds of beggars!"
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