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On The Road Again

(CBS)
Mark Knoller is a White House Correspondent for CBS News.
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


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