Bush Visit Overview:
It rained this morning, and was overcast the whole day. The rain let up just before Air Force One landed at Otopeni. At Cotroceni Palace, the Romanian President decorated Mr. Bush with Romania’s highest order of merit.
Thousand of Romanians braved the wet weather, packing into Piata Revolutei hours ahead of the President’s arrival to begin celebrating the event. Mr. Bush was greeted warmly, the crowd cheering: “Romania, USA! Romania, USA! Romania, USA! …”
Although it began to drizzle during the Illiescu’s address, a rainbow appeared as the American President began his speech. A fortuitous sign perhaps.
The President congratulated Romania for its dedication to freedom, the changes brought about in the country since the Revolution, adherence to the principles of democracy and free markets, and for entry into NATO. He mentioned Iraq, which was fine, but his advisors should have done their homework better, and known that talking about closer relations with Russia is inappropriate. Romania still has deelpy-rooted animosities toward Moscow for plundering the country during Communist rule. Nevertheless, the Romanian public did not take this to heart, and simply didn't react to this part of the speech.
After his speech, Mr. Bush endeared himself to the Romanian public, by stepping down form the podium to shake hands with those in the crowd. President Illiescu also took advantage of this opportunity to raise his profile with the people.
The overwhelming feeling surrounding the American President's visit is a positive one. TV stations quizzed political analysts and members of the public throughout the day, all of whom believed that this was a step forward for Romania. Many middle-aged people expressed the view that they could hardly have imagined such an event when they were growing up. A few students didn't feel that it was such an important event, but one must remember that the younger generation have grown up without knowing the price of freedom.
All in all, a good day for everybody concerned.
