“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 sovereignty and free and a beacon of liberty for this region and the world.”

And the crowd went wild.

“In recent months, the world has marveled at the hopeful changes taking place from Baghdad to Beirut to Bishket. But before there was a Purple Revolution in Iraq or an Orange Revolution in Ukraine or a Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, there was the Rose Revolution in Georgia.”

Arms are raised in the air, everyone cheers and chants, and Freedom Square turns into a sea of Georgian and American flags.

At first glance you may think you’re witnessing the Republican National Convention all over again. But if you saw President Bush speak just now, you would know that he was winning the hearts and ears of a crowd of jubilant Georgians. When recalling all of the October pre-election polls reflecting how much the world hates the United States and especially President Bush, it would seem odd to the outside observer that over 100,000 people would wait in the heat, for hours on end, before impatiently breaking through police barriers just to hear Bush speak. In reality, however, it isn’t so far-fetched. Due to American support for freedom and democracy in the region during and after the fall of the Soviet Union, countries from the Baltics to the South Caucasus hold the United States in the highest of regards.

During the speech, President Bush stirred anew Georgian pride in the achievements of the past 18 months. At the same time, he made a hat tip toward civil activists in acknowledging work that needs to be made toward ending corruption and providing for the rule of law. With regards to Russia, he said that America would help Georgia peacefully resolve separatist conflicts with South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia has “peacekeeping” troops in these areas, and Saakashvili is working tough on Moscow to remove these troops before elections in 2008. Russia has also established cordial relations with these provinces, and are even widely seen as propping up the leaders, given that they want to join Russia. Reuters actually has a good article relating some facts about the conflict. President Bush’s support for Saakashvili in this gives his government a huge boost in peacefully resolving the conflict, both between Tbilisi and the provinces and Tbilisi and Moscow. When meeting with Putin, Bush reportedly discussed the Georgia visit with him and he must know that Russia’s leaving is inevitable.

So when President Saakashvili said, “You stood with us during our revolution and you stand with us today. On behalf of my nation I would like to say, éThank you,’” you can bet that America has a friend, and many more, in the region. What will be interesting to follow are the EU aspirations of these Eastern European countries, even more than what it will mean for Russia. The staunchly pro-American Baltic nations, who were recently admitted, have already begun infuriating the foreign policy of appeasement and inaction worked by France and Germany. It is really no wonder that certain governments are trying to slow down the pace of accession, while President Bush is pushing and fostering their desires to join. The European Union is likely to become a solidified body, and with such a seeming inevitability, it is to America’s advantage to encourage these countries who are rabidly pro-market and pro-freedom to join and sway EU policy.

Overall, this has been a fantastic week in U.S. foreign policy. You can read about Bush’s activities that he attended here. An English-language Georgian paper did a Q&A of its readers asking what they would ask George and Laura Bush if they had the chance to speak with them. Read those responses here. This trip to Georgia, having followed stops in the Baltics and Russia, turned out flawless on all levels. The only mishap was when, after the U.S. national anthem played, the recording of the Georgian anthem messed up. But instead of faultering themselves, the entire crowd began singing. It was a truly inspirational moment to capture, and I hope that just as Georgia has served as a beacon of freedom for their neighbors, that America has done the same for them.

UPDATE: Gateway Pundit has the video of Bush dancing in Georgia! Must see! You can read the text of the speech here.