Since Bush is in Albania today doing justice to the “Somewhere in Texas a Village is Missing its Idiot,” bumper stickers:
On Saturday in Rome, the president agreed there should be a deadline to end the United Nations talks in Kosovo: “In terms of a deadline, there needs to be one, it needs to happen.” Today in Albania, however: “First of all, I don’t think I called for a deadline,” Mr. Bush said. He was reminded that he had. “I did?” he asked, sounding surprised. “What exactly did I say” I said “deadline?” Okay, yes, then I meant what I said.”
I thought it might be interesting to some of you to see some pictures from that excellent country.
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My wife and I just spent several days traveling through Albania from north to south. Incredibly friendly people, lots of excellent ruined castles, and significant culinary challenges for this rapidly developing nation to overcome. I recommend a visit if you’re interested in history, like to get off the beaten path, and don’t mind eating pizza every day.
Most remarkable, from the perspective of this native Bostonian, is that the 100 Leke note, their equivalent of a $1 bill, bears an image of a plaque with “Boston, Massachusetts” engraved on it (the little pyramid-shaped thing above) — a tribute, according to a source in Tirana, to the large number of Albanian emigrants who have found their way to Boston. No wonder we have such an excellent city and state.
…but here’s a tidbit that might be interesting. Albania was pretty much the last Stalinist country in Eastern Europe. When the Soviet empire was breaking up in the late 1980s and particularly the early 1990s, Albanians pretty much revolted against their Stalinist regime at least in part because they could receive Italian TV across the Adriatic, and see the diversity of products that was available to Italians, but that not to them. A number of Albanians became “boat people,” emigrating across the Adriatic to eastern Italy.
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Regarding Kosovo, I know about the issue, but haven’t studied it in enough detail. What I haven’t been able to figure out is why the Serbs don’t establish Kosovo as an “autonomous province” within the state of Serbia. There is historical precedence. At the end of WWI, Italy grabbed the Suedtirol (South Tyrol) province of Austria, which was primarily German, but some Italian. The Italian government tried to “Italianize” the province (in Italian, it is referred to as Alto Adige), the Germans living there opposed it, and the Italian government compromised by calling it an “autonomous province.” It has developed into one of the wealthiest provinces in Italy.
http://www.forbes.co…
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Cannons boomed salutes from mountains overlooking the capital. Huge banners proclaimed “Proud to be Partners,” and billboards read “President Bush in Albania Making History.”
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At home, Bush’s job approval rating stands at its all-time low. But here, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said Bush was Albania’s “greatest and most distinguished guest we have ever had in all times.”
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Nice to have our president welcomed so warmly in a time of global anti-Americanism, don’t you think?