Some really interesting things in the NYT this weekend:

• It's an interesting idea to contrast Clinton's and Bush's styles when they visit a foreign country:

while the difference says much about the personalities of two presidents who both famously avoided serving in the war here, it reveals a lot about how significantly times have changed — and perhaps why America’s “public diplomacy” seems unable to shift into gear.

In 2000, tens of thousands of Hanoi’s residents poured into the streets to witness the visit of the first American head of state since the end of the Vietnam War. Mr. Clinton toured the thousand-year-old Temple of Literature, grabbed lunch at a noodle shop, argued with Communist Party leaders about American imperialism and sifted the earth for the remains of a missing airman.

On Saturday, Mr. Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, conceded that the president had not come into direct contact with ordinary Vietnamese, but said that they connected anyway.

“If you’d been part of the president’s motorcade as we’ve shuttled back and forth,” he said, reporters would have seen that “the president has been doing a lot of waving and getting a lot of waving and smiles.”

• Oooh, the new Wong Kar-Wai movie (his first in English) sounds interesting.
• and the PB is (briefly) interviewed.  I don't know a whole lot about her besides what I've heard in various press reports, but I like her...she seems very impressive.

Comments

[Vinny]

There you libs go again, bringing up Bill Clinton. Doesn't it ever end with you people :-)

[Vidiot]

Actually, I walked past him (and Hillary) on Friday at the corner of 57th & 7th. He was going too fast to stop and say hi.