Bush in Romania: An ambition mission

Today Bush arrived in Bucharest for the NATO summit. Or as he called it, “MATO.” He is still talking about how five years ago he saw a rainbow: “And then the clouds parted, and a rainbow appeared in the sky -- heralding a new day for this nation, and the Atlantic Alliance she was about to join.”

AMBITION MISSION: “Afghanistan is the most daring and ambition [sic] mission in the history of NATO.”

NATO’S WAR WITH NATO: “Our Alliance must maintain its resolve and finish the fight in NATO.” (He meant Afghanistan).

NOT NECESSARILY GOOD ONES, BUT WHY SPLIT HAIRS? “The surge has produced results across Iraq.”

RELATIONSHIP COUNSELOR: “We’re working toward a new security relationship with Russia whose foundation does not rest on the prospect of mutual annihilation.”

DRACULA! “The Romanian people have seen evil in their midst -- and they’ve seen evil defeated.”

Later, he held a press conference with Romanian President Basescu.

IN OUT INTEREST TO HELP SUCCEED: “But in this case, it’s in our interest to help succeed because we don’t want an enemy that has been known to attack people -- nations in our Alliance to be able to develop safe haven again, to be able to use a launching pad like Afghanistan to plot, plan and attack.”

President Basescu stepped in to give a, um, variant on that theme: “Sure, we have a extremely clear idea if we don’t keep the terrorists in Afghanistan, if we let them free, they’ll come in Europe, they’ll come in United States.”

THE POTENTIAL OF THE BLACK SEA: “I take the advice of the President on the Black Sea. ... he loves the Black Sea. And he understands the potential of the Black Sea.”


DOUBLE PROMOTION: “We need to promote the scenario where you can promote energy independence. All nations ought to have a variety of sources of energy from which to choose, so it’s never become captured by a single supplier.”

WHAT HE WILL MAKE CLEAR TO PUTIN: He noted that he will meet Putin for “our last face-to-face meeting as a presidency”. “Look, I’m going to meet with President Putin to make it clear to him the Cold War is over”. In case he didn’t get the memo.