WASHINGTON -- The summit meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun was, by almost all accounts, a success. The main reason, according to the skeptics, was that expectations were very low. No major breakthroughs were achieved, they argue; "success" merely meant there were no major gaffes.
This was "confirmed" by the summit story's placement on page two of The Washington Post. "Bush Screws Up . . . Again" would have made page one; "Bush Gets It Right" (the actual headline was "President 'Sees Progress' on N. Korea") is page two news.
Even more interesting were the headlines accorded the story by The New York Times and The Washington Times (which ran the story on page one): "Bush and South Korean President Are Vague on North Korea Strategy" and "N. Korea Gets Stern Warning," respectively. It seems that progress, like beauty, remains in the eye of the beholder.