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.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.