What a contrast........ Clinton is warmly greeted by Vietnamese..............

[4bucksagallon]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10693308/

HANOI, Vietnam - Former President Clinton was swarmed for autographs, handshakes and photographs on the streets of Hanoi on Wednesday by throngs of admirers whose warm welcome contrasted sharply with the restrained reception given President Bush last month.

[FormerDittoHead]

1. The media should point out to the dimwits that Vietnam is no longer our enemy... n/t

[noahmijo]

8. Well I personally haven't forgiven them for Pearl Harbor yet

:sarcasm:

[theoldman]

2. When Clinton was president he did not set out to attack the world.

I would hope that our next president uses Clinton to repair the damage that Bush created with the world. Carter cannot do this job much longer.

[AspenRose]

3. Rock Star!

Yep, that's Big Dog.

[Nite Owl]

4. Restrained reception?

Why can't they say it like it was, there were throngs of protestors for *.

[Cass]

5. What a great photo of him! Its very sad that the current president must

only appear before staged audiences because he is universally disliked, even here at home.

I sure do miss Bill Clinton.

[Bethany Rockafella]

6. ...

[Sugar Smack]

11. Me too. I was so proud to have him as my president.

:cry: I miss him so MUCH.

[Arkansas Granny]

7. Reading further in the article shows even more contrast.

"Bush didn’t emerge from inside tight security to mingle with crowds during his four-day visit to attend the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Outside of official meetings, the president’s touring included a visit to Vietnam’s stock exchange, where he struck a gong to open a day of trading. He then met with a group of Vietnamese and American businessmen."

[sarge43]

9. Bill Clinton likes people;

Smirky fears and despises them.

[Divernan]

10. Clinton is admired around the world for his work on fighting AIDS

(further excerpt from the article)
Sightseeing in Hanoi
Followed by Secret Service agents and Vietnamese police, Clinton stopped along a half-mile route to chat with his Vietnamese admirers before making his way to an art gallery in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and then to the tomb of Ho Chi Minh, who led Vietnam’s communist revolution.

After he and Health Minister Tran Thi Trung Chien signed the pediatric AIDS agreement, Clinton took part in a discussion about AIDS with several university students and a young woman living with HIV.

The Vietnamese government estimates that 260,000 Vietnamese people were infected with HIV last year, but public health experts think the actual number is higher. In Vietnam, most infections are linked to intravenous drug use and unprotected sex for money.

The Clinton Foundation’s activities are being financed by UNITAID, an organization formed by France and 19 other nations that have earmarked a small portion of their airline tax revenues for HIV/AIDS programs in developing countries.