On The Road Again
Quick: how many foreign trips has President Bush made?
Even I had to check my files.
The foreign journey that began this morning is his 37th trip abroad.
It's a fast-paced, seven-day swing that takes him to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico. It will bring to 60, the number of nations Mr. Bush has visited as President. (See the complete list below.)
The foreign nation he's visited most is Mexico. This trip will be his 6th time there.
I'd guess, the most out-of-the-way place he's been to is Mongolia. On November 21, 2005, Mr. Bush became the first US president ever to set foot in the remote nation, nestled between Russia on the north and China to the south. That's some neighborhood.
The president spent 4½ hours in the Mongolian capital of UlaanBaatar (common pronunciation). I remember the arrival ceremony for him took place at the airport in the shadow of a large milk-white statue of Genghis Khan, the 12th century conquerer who founded the Mongol Empire. He's regarded as the George Washington of Mongolia.
Mongolia is still one of the 22 nations with troops in Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coaltion.
As a foreign traveler, Mr Bush is keeping pace with his most recent predecessors.
During eight years in office, Bill Clinton went on 55 foreign trips to 72 nations, some of them a number of times.
The first President Bush went abroad 23 times with stops in 36 countries. He's still the only U.S. President ever to visit Somalia and Malta.
There are no such firsts on the current excursion for Mr. Bush
Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton beat him to Guatemala.
And Uruguay has been a regular stop for U.S. Presidents dating back to Franklin Roosevelt, who was there in December 1936.
Actually, Herbert Hoover was there as President-elect in 1928. Who knew?
Anyway, here's my list of the foreign nations Pres. Bush has been to (including the stops he'll make on this trip...numbers in parentheses indicates # of visits):
1 - Mexico (6)2 - Canada (3)
3 - Spain
4 – Belgium (2)
5 - Sweden
6 - Poland (2)
7 - Slovenia
8 - Britain (4)
9 - Italy (4)
10 - Kosovo (UN Administered)
11 - China (3)
12 - Japan (3)
13- South Korea (2)
14 - Peru
15 - El Salvador
16 – Germany (3)
17 - Russia (5)
18 - France (3)
19 – Vatican (3)
20 - Czech Republic
21 - Lithuania
22 - Romania
23 - Portugal (Azores)
24 - Switzerland (Transit only)
25 - Egypt
26 – Jordan (2)
27 - Qatar
28 - Senegal
29 - South Africa
30 - Botswana
31 - Uganda
32 - Nigeria
33 - The Philippines
34 - Thailand
35 – Singapore (2)
36 – Indonesia (2)
37 - Australia
38 – Iraq (2)
39 - Ireland
40 – Turkey
41 – Chile
42 – Colombia (2)
43 – Slovakia
44- Latvia (2)
45 - The Netherlands
46 - Georgia
47 – Denmark
48 – Argentina
49 – Brazil
50 – Panama
51 – Mongolia
52 - Afghanistan
53 – India
54 – Pakistan
55- Austria (upcoming)
56 – Hungary (upcoming)
57 – Vietnam
58 – Estonia
59 – Uruguay
60 - Guatemala