TIRANA, Albania - The name "George Bush" could open doors in Albania. Even prison gates.
An appeals court showed clemency last week and released a 15-year-old boy who had been charged with stealing scrap metal from a copper factory in the northern town of Lac.
His name? Xhorxh Bushi - the way Albanians spell the president's last name.
After Albania emerged from decades of communist isolation in 1990, it became fashionable for families to name their children "Bill," "George" and even "Hilary" to show appreciation to the U.S. during the difficult transition to democracy.
American presidents don't have a lock on celebrity names in Albania, though. Another popular first name for boys in this soccer-crazy country is Ronaldo, in honor of the Brazilian star.
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Talk about not sticking to a deadline.
While in Italy on Saturday, Bush was asked whether there needs to be a deadline for action by the United Nations in establishing independence for Kosovo.
"In terms of the deadline, there needs to be one," Bush said emphatically. "This needs to come - this needs to happen. Now it's time."
That must not have been a memorable statement for the president.
By the time he got to Albania the next morning, he was befuddled when a reporter asked for more detail on the deadline.
"First of all, I don't think I called for a deadline," he said Sunday in his latest European stop. That drew a curious reaction, and Bush picked up on it.
"What exactly did I say? I said, 'Deadline?'" Bush asked.
Someone signaled that he did, in fact, say the word.
"OK, yes, then I meant what I said," Bush said to laughter.
He went on to explain that Kosovo should not continue adrift through endless debate.
"That's what I meant," Bush declared.
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Laura Bush on Sunday visited an Albanian orphanage that is partly funded by U.S. charities.
Accompanied by President Alfred Moisiu's daughter, Mirela, and Prime Minister Sali Berisha's wife, Liri, Laura Bush also met with some youngsters from Save the Children. They told her their stories.
Organizers said Laura Bush expressed interest in how the center helps orphans from birth to age 3 grow and get adopted.
She also visited a maternity home funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, where mothers get assistance and advice, and discussed health issues during a lunch with Albanian businesswomen, artists, politicians and others.
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Even in Albania, one of the world's most pro-American countries, Bush has his detractors.
Communist Party members protested Bush's visit overnight Sunday by circulating a poem around the town of Rreshen, 40 miles north of Tirana, the capital, that called him "Terrorist No. 1."
They also distributed a drawing that depicted Bush wearing a Nazi cap and toting a Kalashnikov rifle.
Protesters plastered the town with sheets of paper with the poem and the drawing.
Bush got a hero's welcome in Tirana, while in Rreshen, some residents tore down the paper, local media reported.
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Bush picked up some hardware in Tirana: the prestigious Order of the National Flag.
"To the president of the United States of America - Albania's and Albanians' great ally - in a sign of deep gratitude for the historic role in defending freedom, democracy and human rights, to the benefit of the Albanian nation and the whole region," read the citation accompanying the medal Moisiu awarded Bush.
It hailed Bush "for a precious contribution and the determined support of the American government and people to the development of Albania's democratic processes and integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures."
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