Bush bonds with leaders who see the world as he does, who in his view “get” the war on terrorism, who talk simply and straightforwardly and do not break any private commitments and understandings, officials said. Leaders who are willing to accept his point of view may be able to modify it somewhat, or gain something in return, but those looking for real negotiations or give-and-take are liable to come away disappointed, officials and diplomats say.
According to one former White House official, Bush appears to have a simple test for evaluating his fellow leaders: Good people or bad people? Do they have a vision for their countries or not?
“Whenever he talked about leaders, these were the categories he used,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. He said a CIA official who regularly attended the president’s daily intelligence briefings first pointed out to him Bush’s use of these terms, which was then confirmed by his own experience as a senior policymaker in the White House.
[…]
Bush puts a lot of stock in his gut-level assessments of his fellow leaders. The fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin treasures a cross given by his mother — and had it blessed in Israel — convinced Bush he could deal with the former KGB operative. As a result, Bush declared after their first meeting that Putin was “very straightforward and trustworthy” and he was able to “get a sense of his soul.”
Since then, Bush has continued to have close relations with Putin, who also will attend the summit, even as questions have arisen about whether Putin was smothering Russia’s fragile democracy. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that the relationship is “so broad and deep, the presidents could talk about anything on the map” when they meet at the summit.
Jayzuz. I cringe every time I think of this silly little man making judgments based on his “gut” reaction. What possible qualification does his “gut” have to do anything but digest peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? It’s not as if his instincts ever led him to any success at anything until they bought him a governorship in 1994.
Read the whole sickening article, which outlines his “relationship” with various world leaders. He comes off as if he sees the world as high school and he’s the BMOC dumb jock — throwing his weight around, disrespectful of anybody who doesn’t see things his way, stupid, crude and thuggish. (Another contrast with Reagan. Reagan didn’t show disgusting manners in foreign countries. For such a blue blood, Bush is a real pig.)
And for someone who apparently judges leaders on their “vision” for their countries, does anybody know what Bush’s is for this country? World domination? The Rapture? Hell in a handbasket?