The Show of Shows - George W. Bush in Tbilisi

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Later Bush and Saakashvili held a press conference. Bush broke the ice with praises for Georgian culinary arts, stating "I should have eaten my meal first and then danced" at the welcoming party in "Old Town" the night before. But that's what he did. After tapping his foot to the Georgian dance and choir ensembles and the photo-ops with the pretty dancers, the Bushes were ushered into a local restaurant where he sampled the staples of the Georgian diet: henkhali, kabobi and tsvadi (dumplings & barbeque). After dinner, they came back out for another review and George did a little hip shake and jig, which delighted the public and CNN, which aired a series of Bush dance clips immediately afterward.

At the press conference, Condoleeza Rice watched GW - nervously, it seemed, as if she was crossing her fingers he wouldn't stick his foot in his mouth. Saakashvili was gloating maliciously, like this moment was what he had been dreaming of his entire life. Three questions were allowed from the local and White House press, which Bush answered in his aphasic way, filling the gaps with the catch words of the trip: "Freedom" and "Democracy." When asked about helping Georgia deal with the Russian base dilemma, Bush side-stepped it very diplomatically, stating that Putin is committed to withdrawing according to the 1999 OSCE agreement.

Afterwards Bush had meetings with Speaker of Parliament Nino Burdjanadze, minority leaders, and possibly leaders of the Belarus opposition who had come to Tbilisi for a meeting. Georgian officials however, denied a meeting took place - at first hesitatingly, then categorically.

Meanwhile the public began to flock to Freedom Square to hear the President of the United States address the nation. Concerts were being performed on a large stage. "It's funny," a Russian photographer said. "When Bush came to Moscow, all citizens were kindly asked to leave for their dachas. Here they were asked to come."

Sobaka