A foreign relations coup for Bush!

From here:

NEW DELHI, India — President Bush scored a victory Thursday on his first trip to India, a landmark nuclear energy agreement that he says could ease U.S. energy prices.

Bush acknowledged it will be difficult to persuade Congress to support the agreement, in which the United States would share its nuclear know-how and fuel with India. But he said he's confident Congress will approve the deal so India can power its fast-growing economy without expanding the world demand for oil.

But there's still no joy in Mudville for some democrats:

Critics in Congress say the United States is making an exception for India, which has nuclear weapons but won't sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

"Proliferation is certainly a concern and a part of our discussions, and we've got a good-faith gesture by the Indian government that I'll be able to take to the Congress," Bush said.

"But the other thing that our Congress has got to understand is that it's in our economic interests that India have a civilian nuclear power industry to help take the pressure off the global demand for energy," the president said. "To the extent that we can reduce demand for fossil fuels, it will help the American consumer."

Not to mention..

Critics say the United States is using India as a counterweight to China's growing economic and political influence. And they argue that the agreement sends the wrong signal to leaders of North Korea and Iran, who have thumbed their noses at international monitoring of their weapons programs.

BUT...

India insists that it has been a good steward of nuclear material for decades; that there has never been one incident of proliferation from it.

And honestly--when was the last time India threatened to wipe Israel off the map or to nuke San Francisco? And as far as using India as a counterweight to China--your point is???

Still my money for who will get the most dinosaur media attention:

Dozens of politicians, mainly from leftist parties, stood on the steps of the country's national parliament building chanting "Bush go back!" and "Down with Bush!"

"We're saying this because he is the biggest killer of humanity in the 21st century. He has killed in Afghanistan, he has killed Iraqis and now he is bent on killing Iranians," said Hannan Mollah, a lawmaker from the Communist Party of India (Marxist). "The Indian government should not get into any deal with the Americans. Bush has laid a trap for India."

And with one of the best comebacks in modern history comes Bush:

Bush said he was mourning the loss of life in a bombing Thursday that ripped through the parking lot of the Marriott Hotel in Karachi and broke windows in the nearby U.S. consulate. At least four people died, including a U.S. foreign service officer. The attack occurred hundreds of miles from Islamabad, where Bush was headed later this week.

"Terrorists and killers are not going to prevent me from going to Pakistan," Bush said.

Funny how the Marxies and the Commies bemoan the U.S. when it comes to liberating the world from terrorists, but fall deathly silent when the terrorists themselves target and maim civilians. I mean, when was the last time you saw marxists protesting against beheadings or 'suicide' bombings?

(Filed under world affairs)