TIRANA, Albania, June 12, 2007
Bush's Watch Wasn't Stolen
U.S. Officials Deny President’s Wristwatch Was Swiped In Albania
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Play CBS Video Video Albania: Bush's Watch Vanishes CBS News RAW: On President Bush's recent visit to Albania, his watch went missing while he was greeting a crowd of people. There are different versions to what actually happened to it.
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Video Bush Makes Stop In Albania President Bush has many fans in Albania because of his support for making Kosovo independent from Serbia. The mostly-Muslim nation even contributed troops to the war in Iraq. Jim Axelrod reports.
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Video President's Watch Lifted? While shaking hands with a crowd in Albania, President Bush's watch mysteriously disappeared. However, the White House said the president put the timepiece in his pocket. Maggie Rodriguez reports.
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President Bush looks down during the moment he was believed to have lost his wristwatch as crowds of Albanians greeted him in Tirana on June 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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Fast Facts Albania Learn about the people, economy and history.
One moment President Bush was glad-handing Albanians on Sunday, proudly sporting a watch with a dark strap on his left wrist. Moments later, it was gone.
Did it fall off? Did one of his bodyguards remove it? Or did one of the crowd artfully slip it off his wrist and pocket it?
The United States Embassy in Albania on Tuesday emphatically denied that Bush's watch was stolen during his visit to the country, where he was acclaimed as a hero.
The Albanian media — and international Web sites — is buzzing with video showing Bush's wrist watch apparently disappearing while he was shaking hands with people in Fushe Kruje, 15 miles north of Tirana.
"What the local media is saying is absolutely not true," said an embassy official, who declined to be identified.President Bush's watch vanishes as he greets the crowd
People waiting on the sidewalks on Sunday gave Bush a rapturous welcome, shaking hands with him, grabbing him by the arms and wrists, reaching out to embrace him and even ruffling his hair.
Bush was clearly delighted by the attention and plunged back into the crowd for more handshaking and to be kissed on the cheek.
But White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush's watch was not stolen by someone in the crowd. "The president put it in his pocket and it returned safely home," Snow said in Washington.
An Albanian bodyguard who accompanied Bush in the town told The Associated Press he had seen one of his U.S. colleagues close to Bush bend down and pick up the watch.
The Top Channel private TV station showed how one of his bodyguards may have talked to the president and then taken the watch from his hand.
Bush's visit to the tiny Balkan country, the first ever by a U.S. president, was considered as historic.
Albania issued three postage stamps with Bush's picture and the Statue of Liberty, renamed a street in front of parliament in his honor, awarded him the highest National Flag medal and Fushe Kruje town council also declared him an honored citizen.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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- this is such OLD news.. geez, ya would think that CBS would be more up to date with their stories.. this was on the Today show yesterday morning and it was said then that it WAS NOT stolen and that he himself removed it and put it in his pocket.. GEEZZZ.... should put the reporter in the same cell as Paris Hilton...
there has to be better news out there than this = is it so quiet on the front that we have to resort to watch stories... - Reply to this comment
- The watch was on upside-down, some Albanian was trying to fix it for him, but he walked away - attention deficit, ya know...
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- Once again the mass media has gotten this story all wrong. Why didn't anyone mention the bruised lip, the black eye, the cracked ribs, and the patch of hair missing from the side of his head?
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It's been on eBay for 3 days now at a starting bid of one dollar. No bidders yet. I presume it's because one of the arms fell off Mickey...- Reply to this comment
- Better this story than more Paris Hilton fluff.
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- At least we now know where Bush can go after he retires where he will be welcomed with open arms. Heck, they can have him now , if thay want !
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- "They stole the President's watch!!!"
"Let's go kick some BUT-T!!!"
"Wait, the Albanians LOVE him!!!"
"Don't matter, it's GO-TIME fellas!"
WHY the HECK is this NEWS?!?! For Christ's sake.....I have another watch he can HAVE, and it's a Micky mouse one to boot, like all ya'll think he lost! :O) - Reply to this comment
- One_American wrote:
"Albania is one Muslim nation with a future.
At least they can appreciate a President who is dedicated to bringing reforms to their part of the world.
Unlike the far-left-liberal-hate-mongers in this country."
Maybe you should change your nick to "One_Muslim"? - Reply to this comment
- Americans would never be allowed to even think about getting so physically close to BushWhacked- let alone be allowed to ruffle his hair & grab his arms & wrists! Just goes to show how much he is aware that his own "subjects" want to not ruffle his hair, but smack him on the back of the head.
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- This is soooooo simple; the Albanians love this a55hole, so let them have him and the watch. Problem solved, eh?
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