Trip offers Bush a break from troubles back home

WASHINGTON — President Bush does not typically find relief in travel overseas.

But after weeks of unpleasant distractions and sagging approval ratings at home, Bush headed to a rare place where he and the United States remain popular: India.

He is presiding over the closest ties in history between Washington and New Delhi, two capitals that for decades eyed each other with suspicion as India aligned with the Soviet Union and pursued a nuclear-weapons race with Pakistan.

One recent survey, by the Pew Research Center for the People and The Press, found that more than 50 percent of Indians approve of Bush's performance. Despite widespread opposition to the Iraq war and a left-leaning government that relies on support from communist parties, more than seven in 10 Indians look favorably upon the United States. Those numbers are a far cry from anti-U.S. feelings in traditional allies Britain and Canada.

In India, Bush's trip was so highly anticipated that newspapers devoted weeks of coverage to his three-night stay, contemplating his reported affinity for Indian cooking.

Analysts attribute the good feelings to the war on Islamic terrorism pursued by the Bush administration. India, a largely Hindu nation of 1 billion people that includes 150 million Muslims, has faced years of terrorist attacks linked to the dispute with Muslim Pakistan over the Kashmir region.

Not all of India's citizens welcome Bush's visit. Tens of thousands of Indians waving black and white flags and chanting "Death to Bush!" rallied today in New Delhi.

Crowd estimates varied, but one police officer said as many as 100,000 people, most of them Muslim, has gathered in a fairground in central New Delhi.

In central India, Maoist militants attacked a group of trucks jammed with passengers Tuesday, killing at least 23 people and injuring 33. Though the attack took place 750 miles southeast of New Delhi, it highlighted the Indian government's worries that attacks would be timed to coincide with Bush's visit.

Late Tuesday, reports out of Afghanistan said that Bush will make his first visit to the country today and meet with President Hamid Karzai.

While U.S. popularity soars in India, Bush's trip also includes a daylong stay in Pakistan, where anti-U.S. sentiment has grown after a U.S. strike on alleged terrorists in that country. Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, who took power in a military coup in 1999, has proved a crucial ally in the war on terrorism, though his continued control over the government and the military has forced Bush to balance the alliance against his call for political reforms.

Analysts expect Bush to make only token efforts at pressing Musharraf on reforms. Bush hinted his nudging will be friendly when he told a Pakistani interviewer last week he would "talk to my buddy and my friend about his goals for a democratic Pakistan."

The warming of U.S.-Indian relations was initiated by former President Clinton, but officials say the relationship has been pushed to new heights by Bush, who has forged close ties with the fast-growing and highly affluent Indian-American community.

Bush has enhanced the relationship by championing an agreement giving India access to updated nuclear technology. Critics of the proposed deal say it could transform the balance of power in Asia and invigorate a dangerous weapons race in an unstable region.

Last year, India hired a prominent Republican lobbying firm now headed by the former U.S. ambassador to India, Robert Blackwill, to push for congressional approval of the controversial nuclear deal.

Another controversial aspect of Bush's India policy is his support of outsourcing jobs.

For its part, India sees a relationship with the United States as a way to further its status as a world power, including, it hopes, a permanent seat on an expanded United Nations Security Council.

U.S. relations with India are not likely to be conflict-free. India will continue to develop relations with nearby Iran independent of U.S. priorities, experts say.

Material from The Associated Press and The Christian Science Monitor is included in this report.