Ex-leftist guerrilla, Bush make it through dinner

The Los Angeles Times ^ | 11 Mar 2007 | Patrick McDonnell and Maura Reynolds

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ESTANCIA ANCHORENA, Uruguay – Over lamb chops and cuts of beef, President Bush chatted amiably Saturday at this presidential retreat with a former leader of a legendary band of leftist guerrillas known as the Tupamaros.

"I respect you and I'm proud to be in your country," Bush told Jose "Pepe" Mujica, now Uruguay's minister of agriculture and livestock, according to a White House aide.

Mujica was pleased to give Bush an expansive overview of this tiny nation's agricultural needs, the aide said. This is the same Mujica who, in comments to media here, has acknowledged feeling odd about the notion of cozying up to a U.S. president.

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Cripes, the people Bush has to eat dinner with. That said, Bush's meeting with Vazquez looked extremely cordial.

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Note that in this excellent account here, filed by a South American who is there, Vazquez INVITED Bush down to the ranch in Uruguay. It was hardly a dinner with a guerrilla that Bush had to 'get through.' It was completely cordial because the president of Uruguay wants to sell us good Uruguayan beef and he also wants the sleazy government of Argentina taught a lesson about kicking around responsible states.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Uruguay, isn't that the country were German is the second language due to the sudden influx of Germans in 1945?