Georgia Still on My Mind

President Bush visits Russia and the N&O leads with a 1A story on " bickering" with Russia. Bush visits Georgia the next day, makes an inspiring speech (see the Rick Martinez OpEd today) and is treated like a hero. Yet the story is buried on 9A of todays N&O.

Here is some of the speech:

"When Georgians gathered here 16 years ago, this square had a different name. Under Lenin's steely gaze, thousands of Georgians prayed and sang, and demanded their independence. The Soviet army crushed that day of protest but they could not crush the spirit of the Georgian people.
"The following year, Georgians returned to this square and pulled down the statue of Lenin. And on 9 April 1991 you declared to the world that Soviet Georgia was no more and that the independent nation of Georgia was born.
"On that historic day, you reclaimed your sovereignty but the hopeful start you made was not fulfilled. So 18 months ago, Georgians returned to this square to complete the task you began in 1989.
"You gathered here armed with nothing but roses and the power of your convictions, and you claimed your liberty. And because you acted, Georgia is today both sovereign and free, and a beacon of liberty for this region and the world."