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He may have been the first Basque to travel on Air Force One.  Boise’s Mayor, Basque-American Dave Bieter, had to travel from Washington DC to Boise, and at the last minute got a friend to help him out.  The friend, Barack Obama and the means of transport, one of the most exclusive in the world: the presidential airplane Air Force One.  What did they talk about during the trip?  Well, among other things, his grandfather who came to the US as a sheepherder (vídeo)

Boise, ID.   Boise Mayor, Dave Bieter, returned triumphantly from Washington DC yesterday where he had participated in a mayors’ conference.  Boise native, grandson of Basque emigrants and a prominent member of the local Basque community, traveled on Air Force One along with President Barack Obama, a tremendous recognition and certainly a unique experience.

The reason for the unexpected trip was that Obama was also traveling to Boise to give a talk at Boise State University, and as Bieter was travelling on the same day, he invited him along on Air Force One.  The occasion has been immortalized in several pictures with both politicians descending the airplane stairs and Bieter posing along with the plane.

The trip was very enjoyable and according to Bieter in an interview with the local TV (see vídeo) they had some time to talk, among other things, about his grandfather who emigrated and worked as a sheepherder, and the local Basque community.  It didn’t end there, once on land, Obama also invited him to ride along in his limousine.

Obama's talk at BSU mentioning mayor Bieter's story (0' 44").

This is Dave Bieter’s third term as Mayor and he was one of the first Democrats to support Obama in 2008 (we still remember this video Gora Obama! ) Bieter, who speaks Basque fluently, is a very active member of the Basque community and has participated in club activities and events promoting Euskera like Korrika in Boise.  It also seems that he has made it clear to the US President that there is an important colony of Basques in Idaho and the West, since Obama's campaign has used euskera for example in neighbouring Nevada.