The most recent surge of Albanian support for the U.S. pre-dates Bush’s presidency. Albanians endorsed President Clinton’s decision to intervene militarily into Kosovo through 78 days of NATO air strikes in 1999. That military intervention, which included an airlift of thousands of refugees from Macedonia to the United States, was opposed by many members of Congress from Bush’s Republican Party. Bush’s recent efforts to secure independence for the largely Albanian province of Kosovo actually mark a new direction for his administration, Fischer says.

“In a sense, the president is reaping the benefits of the policies of his predecessor, which he opposed,” Fischer says.

Indeed, along with George Bush stamps, Albania also is home to scores of children named Bill, Hillary and Madeleine (as in Albright, Clinton’s secretary of state). Buildings in Kosovo bear Bill Clinton murals, and a street is named for him. In the 1920s, many post-World War I babies were named Wilson, in honor of the original American backer of Albania, President Wilson.

“Honestly, any American president who visited Albania would get the same reception” as Bush, says Avni Mustafaj, executive director of the National Albanian-American Council, speaking by telephone from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. “In our culture, a debt of goodwill has to be repaid.”

Saliju says that is the nature of the people of Albania, a long-isolated country with gorgeous mountains and beaches as scenic as those in Palm Beach or Miami.

“We Albanians, we don’t forget,” Saliju says. “We forget bad things, but we don’t forget good things.”

The hope is for Albania’s democracy to solidify, which would seem to be helped by NATO membership, and for the U.N. to recognize Kosovo independence. The latter must happen soon, perhaps this year, to prevent instability and more fighting, Fischer predicts.

Meanwhile, Albanian-Americans will be watching. They share Albanian heritage with some famous people, Ramadani proudly points out, including late actor John Belushi, actress Eliza Dushku and late humanitarian Mother Teresa. Ramadani is optimistic that Albanians in Kosovo, which he left at age 16 to live in Chicago, will gain independence.

“It will happen,” he insists. “We have U.S. support. [Kosovo] should’ve been an independent country long ago, but later is better than never. Those people want to be free and independent. They’re a peace-loving people.”