The President and The Piker

Bush: Georgia is example to the world

George W Bush, the American president, told a crowd of thousands of Georgians that the former Soviet Republic is an example of freedom to the world.

In a speech in Freedom Square in the capital Tbilisi, Mr Bush said: "Your courage is inspiring democratic reformers and sending a message that echoes across the world: Freedom will be the future of every nation and every people on Earth.

"You gathered here armed with nothing but roses and the power of your convictions and you claimed your liberty. and because you acted, Georgia is today both sovereign and free and a beacon of liberty for this region and the world."

In a line that appeared directed at Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, Mr Bush declined to support the bid of two separatist regions aligned with Moscow to gain independence from Georgia.

He added: "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia must be respected ... by all nations."

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Making good on the rhetoric of his second inaugural address, President Bush continues to stoke the bonfires of freedom, this time in a former Captive Nation. We are confident that, when the story of this presidency is written 25 years from now, it will be seen as the completion of the work begun by President Reagan.

Unlike his teenage predecessor, Bush does not wake every morning wondering "what can I do for my legacy today", rather he acts on his core principles, most notably that every man in every nation has rights that pre-exist any government -- particularly the right to self-government.

For decades, policy makers accepted tyranny for the sake of stability. That era is over.

Meanwhile ...

Reid doesn't back down from Friday remark about Bush

If Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada still feels remorse for calling President Bush a loser, he didn't show it on Tuesday.

In a news conference, Reid was asked if his comment about Bush would make it more difficult to negotiate with Republicans.

"I tell people how I feel about things. I don't try to hide how I feel," Reid said.

"Maybe my choice of words was improper, and I have indicated that maybe they were, but I want everyone here, I repeat, to know I'm going to continue to call things the way that I see them, and I think this administration has done a very, very bad job for this nation and the world." [emphasis ours]

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Such small words from such a small man, foisted upon us by half a million voters from a small state. Again, 20 years from now, who will remember Harry Reid?