President Bush

Well, I'm sure most of you don't know, but President Bush was in Albania on June 10, 2007! It's a very historic event because no sitting American president has ever visited the country. It was actually on the eighth anniversary of the start of Serbian troop withdrawals from Kosovo and ratification by the United Nations Security Council of the American-brokered peace accord that ended the fighting. President Bush is pushing the Security Council to approve a plan that would lead to qualified Kosovo independence.

Here's some history for you. In Albania, which has not wavered in its unblinking support for American policies since the end of the cold war, President Bush can do no wrong. While much of the world berates Bush, Albania still loves him without restraint. Every school child in Albania can tell you that President Woodrow Wilson saved Albania from being split up among its neighbors after World War I, and nearly every adult repeats the story when asked why Albanians are so infatuated with the United States.

It was a beautiful day for him to come, and I went down to the center where he was going, so I could try to sneak a peak. The streets were blocked off from vehicles and mobbed with people wearing red, white, and blue. It was quite an experience, and I even got interviewed by a couple television stations! I didn't get to see the interviews, but some of the staff and students at the school saw it! Thankfully everything went smoothly for his trip here, and they are now naming a street after him.