Remember Albanians? We’ve had Albanians around here before (scroll down to the 110 comments on this post for a blast of old Albania). We know what they’re like.

And now, apparently, so does the Decider: watch at about 54 seconds in and see the expensive timepiece on Bush‘s wrist. Then see a friendly Albanian hand wrap right around that wristwatch and see that same Deciderish wrist at minute 1:04, now a watch-free zone.

Nothing says “Borat Doesn’t Live Here” like a stunt even Borat wouldn’t pull.

Also, please do NOT miss the self-congratulatory text from Albania on the YouTube page. A sample:

10th June 2007
A historic date for all Albanians

President Bush is given a hero’s welcome in Albania. This is the first visit ever of a serving president of USA to visit Albania and will be remembered long time, even though it only lasted eight hours.

Albania is the only country where no one has seen any protests against USA or the President. Some even say the Albanians are the most proamerican people on the planet. This is not a hoax. This is a real deal and there is a reason for it.

Why Albanians love Americans? Simply because americans are a freedom loving people and they showed this love in practice many times in the history of Albanians (and other small nations) by defending the Albania’s right to exists as a state despite the appetite of many world powers and neighboring countries to carve and erase the country from the map. e.g. USA’s President Wilson in 1919, at the Paris Peace Conference, was a crucial voice that saved Albania from being ceased as a state…

p.p.s. Bush dropped his watch, time 00:54!
As you may notice in the video, Bush’s wrist watch dropped at some point, but it has been confirmed by media (VizionPlus TV) that it was found by the bodyguards who handed it over to Lady Bush later on. And you will see in many other videos Bush wearing his watch again while entering Air Force One during departure as he waives back to us. If he had a spare watch, most likely it would have been inside the airplane, therefore, there is no doubt that Bush got his original watch back and everything was accidental. So, don’t worry, be happy, time is still ticking on and everything is in Bush’s hands! Kosovo will be Independent soon, think of 4th July 2007 as the day of happening, where we can celebrate together with Americans, The Independence Day.

Of course, the Times and the Guardian are both reporting that the watch was indeed stolen, but hey, if VizionPlus TV says it was lost, then you can bet your bottom lekë it was lost!

Or can you? Check out this theft-corroborating video from Dutch tv, taken at a different angle. If I’m not wrong, you can actually see the thief flourish it in the air before vanishing into the crowd in time-honored thiefly fashion. The plot, if not the welcome, thickens.

Update: The White House says Bush simply put the watch in his pocket, which would be a nifty trick more suited to someone of the flamboyance of David Blaine or at least Siegfried, if not Roy, given that both his hands were in full view at the time and neither ventured anywhere near his pocketses. And where did that guy on the Dutch video suddenly get that watch? Was Bush just passing them out or something?

Snow also said the crowd was “euphoric because we helped make them free….if there was a problem, the Secret Service would have dealt with it. Trust me.”

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