Bush's travels

While on vacation, I forgot to mention that I was interviewed again by Shelley Emling for her story on President Bush's trip to Ireland: "Protests will greet Bush as he starts European trip."

"At this stage, whenever President Bush travels to a democracy, I'd expect some protests," said Rodger Payne, an expert on international relations at the University of Louisville. "In Ireland, some pop musicians like (singer-songwriter) Damien Rice have participated in concerts to fund the protests. However, I doubt many Americans will notice them."

Then again, he doubts whether many Americans will notice the EU summit either.

"It's hard to imagine a presidential trip to Ireland getting that much attention," he said. "To many, it will probably seem more like a summer vacation."

Kind of flippant, eh? Here's the paragraph from my original email:

In the US, we're getting a lot of TV coverage about Saudi Arabia, and Michael Moore's movie hasn't even opened yet. GIven the circumstances, it is hard to imagine a presidential trip to Ireland getting that much attention. To many, it will probably seem more like a summer vacation (i.e., less serious than the D-Day trip and not directly on-point to the troubles in Iraq and Saudi Arabia).

In addition to the North Carolina paper noted above, one in Palm Beach carried it too, that I know about.

Also, Emling had previously talked to me about Bush's D-Day trip to France:

Meanwhile, Rodger Payne, an expert on international relations at the University of Louisville, said that Bush likely would get a domestic boost — if not a boost abroad — from his Normandy visit.
"The focus of the trip is going to be on foreign policy and that's usually good news for any president — especially one trying to downplay unpleasant domestic news," he said. "These trips and meetings represent a great opportunity to control the political agenda, focusing attention on points the White House wants to disseminate. Any progress on European relations is gravy."

That story appeared in various places, including the Atlanta Journal Constitution.