"Celebrating Freedom and Democracy"

When you know the price of freedom, you don't spit on it when you recognize it.

The theme for Bush’s visit to Georgia was "Celebrating Freedom and Democracy." In public addresses given at Tbilisi’s Freedom Square, both presidents stressed that shared values -- rather than, according to Saakashvili, "an oil pipeline . . . or any kind of military cooperation" -- are driving the US-Georgian partnership.

The tens of thousands of Georgians who gathered at Freedom Square heard Bush hail the November 2003 Rose Revolution as a harbinger of change throughout the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East. "Your most important contribution is your example," Bush said. "[B]efore there was a Purple Revolution in Iraq or Orange Revolution in Ukraine or a Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, there was a Rose Revolution in Georgia."

. . .

Georgian praise for Bush ran equally strong. "We welcome you as a freedom fighter," said Saakashvili. The Georgian leader also named Bush as the first recipient of the Order of St. George, an award created "for promotion of freedom in the world."

Attempting a few words in Georgian, and a few shimmying dance steps at the conclusion of a May 9 performance of traditional Georgian dances, Bush appeared to make a favorable impression on Georgians. The message on one poster succinctly summarized the hopes of many Georgians: "Mr. Georg[e] W. Bush can save Georgia."