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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (45716)	5/10/2005 4:18:10 PM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

Says who? You?

To: American Spirit who wrote (45716)	5/10/2005 4:20:40 PM
From: JeffA	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

Bush grooves to dancing beat in Georgia By Christian Lowe Mon May 9, 6:18 PM ET President Bush shook his hips and waved his arms as traditional dancers twirled on Monday night in a raucous start to the U.S. leader's visit to Georgia to show support for the ex-Soviet republic's fledging democracy. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, the pro-Western leader catapulted to power 18 months ago in the peaceful "Rose Revolution," escorted Bush and his wife, Laura, on a tour of Tbilisi's old quarter where performers representing different regions of Georgia serenaded him and danced. Georgia is the last stop on Bush's four-nation tour centered around celebrating the end of World War II in Europe, showing support for democracies on Russia's border and urging them to build lasting institutions that will respect the rule of law and protect minorities. That is a message he will deliver in a speech before as many as 50,000 people at Tbilisi's Freedom Square on Tuesday after a meeting and joint press conference with Saakashvili. It was from that square in November 2003 that crowds of people marched on Georgia's parliament, forcing the resignation of veteran leader Eduard Shevardnadze. Georgia's revolution created the template for fellow ex-Soviet republics Ukraine and Moldova to turn their backs on Moscow and pursue integration with the West. Saakashvili said Bush's visit had energized the Georgian people. "By coming here he sends such a strong message of supporting democracy and independence," he told reporters. "Him coming here -- it's like encouragement for democracy in the whole region." Cheering and waving people lined Bush's motorcade route into town. Bush and his wife, Laura, were quickly caught up in the spirit. As Georgian music blasted and the dancers twirled, Bush put his arms in the air and waved them side to side, nodded his head and shook his hips. His moves impressed Saakashvili. "Some dancers told me they like his rhythm. He captured the whole thing immediately." TBILISI SCRUBBED CLEAN Bush and Saakashvili and their wives later dined at Gorgasali Restaurant, named after the Georgian king who founded Tbilisi in the fifth century. The capital of the nation of 5 million was scrubbed clean ahead of Bush's visit as houses were painted and roads were repaired. Balconies surrounding the cobblestone square where the dancers performed was festooned with flowers and carpets were hung next to a wall of ornate porcelain tiles. Bush was making the first visit to Georgia by a U.S. president, and arrived from northern neighbor Russia, where he took part in celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Saakashvili, a 37-year-old U.S.-educated lawyer who speaks fluent English, boycotted the Moscow festivities because the Kremlin refused to bow to his demands for the immediate closure of two Russian military bases on Georgian soil. Moscow has about 3,000 troops in the Soviet-era bases, which Saakashvili has likened to an occupation of his country. The United States has dozens of military trainers in Georgia. Speaking to reporters on board the flight from Moscow, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Georgia was a "beacon of liberty for the region and for the world" and "an example of courage." Georgia is in the turbulent Caucasus region, scene of a clutch of local conflicts that grew from the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is also on the route for a U.S.-backed pipeline linking the oilfields of the Caspian Sea to world markets. "This visit means a lot," Giga Bokeria, a Georgian parliamentarian and close Saakashvili associate, told Reuters. "It is a message that we are not alone in our struggle to become a decent democracy ... a sovereign country on which no one can impose their will. I am talking about Russia here." (Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze and Caren Bohan)