Bush Awaits Italy's Love-Hate Relationship

President To Meet With Staunch Ally Silvio Berlusconi, While Anti-War Protesters Voice Angst

(AP)  President Bush can look forward to a hearty welcome from his old friend Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and the pope during his visit to Rome, though protesters made clear that anti-Bush sentiment over the war in Iraq lingers.

Anti-war activists and hundreds of other demonstrators marched through the Italian capital on Wednesday as Mr. Bush arrived for a visit that was to include meetings with Berlusconi on Thursday and Pope Benedict XVI on Friday.

The American president encountered scant signs of protest on his motorcade route Thursday.

At the elegant hillside Villa Aurelia, part of the American Academy in Rome, Mr. Bush met with young Italian entrepreneurs who receive training in the United States through an exchange program. He encouraged them to come get the "firsthand truth about America" and disputed what he called misinformation and propaganda about the United States.

"We are compassionate, we are an open country, we care about people, we are entrepreneurial," Mr. Bush said. "We love the entrepreneurial spirit."

A short time later, Mr. Bush was greeted by Italian President Georgio Napolitano at Quirinale Palace, situated atop the highest hill in Rome. Originally built as a summer home for popes at the end of the 16th century, the palace is now the official residence of the president.

Security is extremely tight for Mr. Bush's two-day stay in the Italian capital. Commercial flights have been banned over the city. Dozens of buses and trams have been rerouted. Thousands of policemen have been deployed as part of a plan to monitor any further protests, though Wednesday's march drew far fewer demonstrators than previous visits by Mr. Bush.

Slovenia and Germany, the first two stops on Mr. Bush's trip, were devoid of demonstrators. One activist group in Germany that had organized protests during previous Mr. Bush visits explained that they did not think this trip was important enough because he has little time left in office.

The Rome protest, though smaller than past demonstrations, was evidence that the Italian public still opposes the Bush administration.

Unlike other European leaders, such as former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and former French President Jacques Chirac, Berlusconi supported Mr. Bush on Iraq from the start. The 71-year-old media mogul defied domestic opposition and dispatched about 3,000 troops to Iraq after the fall of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Those troops came home, and Berlusconi, recently elected to his third stint in power since 1994, has pledged not to send any back.

More than 2,000 Italian troops, however, are deployed as part of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.

Italy, along with Germany, France and Spain, have restricted their troops to less dangerous areas in northern Afghanistan. That has caused a rift because other NATO members are deployed in the more violent regions of the nation. The Italian government is reviewing the restrictions and Berlusconi's office said the premier would talk to Mr. Bush about that when they meet.

Mr. Bush's wife, first lady Laura Bush, on Wednesday pledged $10.2 billion on behalf of the United States to Afghanistan's reconstruction. She spoke at an international donors conference in Paris, where the president himself will be headed on Friday.

Berlusconi and Mr. Bush also were expected to discuss Italy's interest in joining with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany that are making a diplomatic push to get Iran to give up what the West believes is an effort to develop nuclear weapons. That might seem unusual for Italy, which recently surpassed Germany as Iran's largest trading partner.

But to show Italy's strong opposition to Iran's suspected nuclear ambitions, Berlusconi and his government refused to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was in Rome for a U.N.-sponsored food summit last week.

Mr. Bush will meet with the pope on Friday before departing to Paris to continue his farewell European tour. It will be Mr. Bush's third meeting with Benedict. The two last met in April at the White House in Washington.

Meanwhile, in a speech Friday in Paris, Mr. Bush will urge Europe to work with the United States on matters that extend beyond their trans-Atlantic ties, such as securing Mideast peace, curtailing the rise of radical Islamic terrorists and keeping regimes such as Iran in check.

"Instead of dwelling on our differences, we are increasingly united in our interests and ideals," Mr. Bush is expected to say. "In leaders like Berlusconi and Brown, Merkel and Sarkozy, I see a commitment to a powerful and purposeful Europe that advances the values of liberty within its borders, and beyond."

The White House released a portion of Mr. Bush's remarks on Thursday, while the president was still in Rome.

[wrj001]

CiitzenUSA - Bush liberated 50 million people...Therefore if another country feels like liberating the U.S.A. from Bush, who is by all accounts the most feared and despised Western Leader , then it is o.k. to kill a million of us and make another 2 1/2 million homeless as long as it is for our own good?

[sgtrds-e4]

Bush is the most pathetic excuse for a creature claiming to be a human being that ever stood on two legs and put on a suit. He is without a doubt the most hated president of modern times and one of the most hated mass murderers in the world today.

[steeepe]

Bush will never look like a great leader simply because he is a fool who has done many foolish things. History will not be kind to Bush. Okay, Nixon opened up China, which now dominates the U.S. economy and makes everything we buy, but he was a crook, and that won''''t change. If you think Iraq was a threat to the U.S., what facts are you looking at? Nothing supports that position. China and Saudi Arabia are much bigger threats, and they''re Bush''s budddies. Bush is a small-minded, anti-intellectual doofus who has wasted 8 years of our time and money to accomplish nothing except to get right-wing justices on the Supreme Court.

[ioweign]

One-American, you make an excellent point. While the liberals in the USA and abroad work 24/7, like vermin on a hamster wheel, trying to destroy Bush, our closest allies in Europe are electing CONSERVATIVE governments, all in the last 3 years. France(Sarkozy), Germany(Merkel), and Italy(Berlusconi), all conservatives, all the equivalent of our Republicans. These, folks, are the three most powerful countries in Europe. All members of the G8. It''''s as if the populations of Europe all woke up one day and said "Hey, liberals suck! We need a government more like the US and Bush have!" Finally, Europe starts to awake and see the light.

Posted by michaelt302 at 02:43 PM : Jun 12, 2008

And they are just surging to relieve our troops in Iraq. There is only so much space in the US Embassy and it is first come first serve...

[ioweign]

How dare these people protest George the Blessed! Dont they know he is the All American Messiah? I hear some patriotic Italians are paying 50 Euros for scraps of the sheet his holiness George the Wonderful slept in.

Posted by gopsoccermom at 09:25 AM : Jun 12, 2008


They also want to take Georgie to The Colosseum and show him the lions...

[underdogus1]

shenanagens!! Bush time is running out ATTACK IRAN!!

[jackie0428]

RickNuber , you are a total a*ss. How''d you like it if you had a list of great accomplishments a mile long but you were only remembered for the couple days you took off sick, or the day you got a speeding ticket? Truth be known, there are extremely few Presidents that accompished MORE than Nixon.

[ricknuber]

"Nixon was despised, and now is shown to have been brilliant and the man who opened doors to China."
Posted by michaelt302 at 02:37 PM : Jun 12, 2008

The only people who remember him that way are the talking heads at FoxNews and their hired trolls, like you.

Nixon hated this country and its principles. So does Bush. Both wanted to eliminate free elections and free debate of the issues via smear campaigns.

[mbcsmith]

I want to thank FeelFree4U for expressing the same thoughts about President Bush as I have. Bush has done a wonderful job, and he has freed over 50 million people from oppression. Thanks Mr Bush!


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Posted by CiitzenUSA at 02:31 PM : Jun 12, 2008


Agreed. He has also had the courage to face our enemies and protect this country from another devastating attack.

[fjinnw]

you American were attack because Bush and he accomplished that.

[petro49l]

George Bush should end his homosexual crusade for Arab oil. His allegiance is well known. G''ays like Bush are a dime, a dozen. American money is funneled to Saudi Arabia through high gasoline prices. Congress is crooked, as well. They accept Arab bribe money on a daily basis to remain silent on this issue.

[ciitzenusa]

I want to thank FeelFree4U for expressing the same thoughts about President Bush as I have. Bush has done a wonderful job, and he has freed over 50 million people from oppression. Thanks Mr Bush!

[one-american]

"God bless this steadfast man of conviction and courage."

Posted by FeelFreee4U at 02:19 PM : Jun 12, 2008


I agree 100% - well said!

And just look at the change in leadership that has taken place in Europe -- our greatest allies - Germany, Italy, & France have all elected Conservative leaders!

[jackie0428]

FeelFree4U, you did a great job expressing the way the silent majority feels about President Bush. He''s a great man of vision and someday this will be realized by all of us

[robertkjjj]

FeelFree4U, thank you for your eloquent and insightful words on President Bush. You hit it right on the money.

[feelfreee4u]

I am very proud of President Bush. His accomplishments are extraordinary: (1) he has kept all of us safe(including the ungrateful and demented liberals who hate him) from attacks since 9-11, and has been shown to have prevented dozens of subsequent attacks (2) He overthrew a dictator who had killed a half-million of his own people and buried them in mass graves, a man who had invaded both Iran and Kuwait and was responsible for mass destruction and the deaths of almost a million lives in neighboring countries (3) He overthrew the Taliban and tossed them out of Afghanistan and restored democratic rule to that country. (4) Countless other accomplishments. Historians may be confused and a bit addled now, but 20 years hence Bush will be looked at as a brilliant and underestimated visionary and an accomplished leader. God bless this steadfast man of conviction and courage.

[feelfreee4u]

I am very proud of President Bush. His accomplishments are extraordinary: (1) he has kept us safe from attacks since 9-11, and has been shown to have prevented dozens of more attacks (2) He overthrew a dictator that had killed a half-million of his own people and buried in mass graves, a man who had invaded both Iran and Kuwait and was responsible for mass destruction and the deaths of almost a million lives in neighboring countries (3) He overthrew the Taliban and tossed them out of Afghanistan and restored democratic rule to that country. Historians may be confused now, but 20 years hence Bush will be looked at a visionary and a great leader. God bless this steadfast man of conviction and courage.

[citizenusa-2009]

I am absolutely SICKENED that this man is a representative of our country. Pathological and power mad, he tells the world he''s one of us. HE''S NOT!!!! (That goes double for CHENEY)!

[citizenusa-2009]

Do ya think "The Pope" approves of the needless slaughter of soldiers, women and children? Well do ya?

[jerr11]

"We are compassionate, we are an open country, we care about people, we are entrepreneurial," Mr. Bush said. "We love the entrepreneurial spirit."



SPOKEN LIKE A TRUE LIAR!

This liar just goes on and on!