LOS ANGELES -- Remember how the senior George Bush, when he was president, admitted to having trouble with "the vision thing." Has that deficiency been passed on to his son?
Last week, a Korean leader, who obviously offers the world and his region diplomatic vision of a high order, met an American leader, who may just as obviously offer a lot less. Recall, as we have said before, that not many of President George W. Bush's top-tier advisers are gung-ho sunshine boys or girls (and his Asia-policy team of experts is far from being in place). That is, they do not really like South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's so-called Sunshine Policy of aggressive engagement toward Stalinist North Korea.
At the same time, Bush the Younger, in his first official summit with a state leader from Asia and trying to show good manners toward an elder, was not trying to be disrespectful to Kim. "There's no question in my mind that the president of the Republic of Korea is a realist," said Bush, trying hard to be diplomatic in front of a roomful of reporters, with the 76-year-old president standing awkwardly at his side. "He knows exactly with whom we're dealing. He's under no illusions." That's what Bush said, but not how he acted.