Posted on: Saturday, October 18, 2003
EDITORIAL
If it's Monday, it must be Thailand for Bush
One wonders, as President Bush wings his way through a grueling six-day, six-nation Asia tour, what his goals are, other than important and needed "face time" with top Asian leaders.
We shouldn't be surprised by a mild culture clash, as Bush had made it clear before he left that no one can persuade him to try sushi. We'd also expect some political heat if his rhetoric is as assertive as it was Thursday, just before his departure for Japan, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia, ending with a fund-raiser in Waikiki Thursday.
In remarks sure to cause friction, he declared "a new American strategy" that extends his doctrine of "striking our enemies before they can strike us again" to Indonesia and the Philippines.
The high point of the trip is supposed to be the summit in Bangkok with leaders of the other 20 member nations of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Bush appears bent on making anti-terrorism and security the thrust of discussion in Bangkok and elsewhere, despite APEC's obvious emphasis on economy and trade. Yet the one country where nuclear terror is more than just potential, South Korea, is a glaring omission from Bush's itinerary.
It is to be hoped that Bush will resist the urge to blame American job losses on the surging Chinese economy and the surging American dollar. The financial stability brought by China's firmness in pegging its currency to the U.S. dollar is a gift some American politicians are prepared to demagogue in the coming elections.