Another Reason Why Bush's Presidency Is Failing

I'm tired of listing all the failures of the Bush Administration. But some failures are more critical than others. You can't have a foreign policy if you don't talk to people. The Knight Ridder Washington Bureau has the story:

Last month, the chief U.S. negotiator with North Korea wanted to meet privately with his North Korean counterpart, hoping he could persuade Pyongyang to return to talks on eliminating its nuclear weapons program.

But the meeting between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Vice Premier Kim Kye Gwan on the sidelines of a conference in Tokyo never took place.

Hill's superiors in Washington forbade him from talking directly to the North Koreans, said three U.S. officials, a conference participant and another knowledgeable expert. All requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The Bush administration also is refusing to talk directly with Iran about its nuclear program, with Syria about Middle East security and the infiltration of terrorists into Iraq, and, like Europe, with the Palestinian government led by Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization.

This approach to diplomacy is drawing criticism.

"I believe that diplomacy is not simply meant for our friends. It is meant for our enemies," said Richard Armitage, the deputy secretary of state in President Bush's first term. "In fact, our enemies need diplomatic engagement more.

"We ought to have sufficient self-confidence in the correctness of our policy and the ability of our diplomats."

Maybe Armitage has his finger on the real issue. Bush's fundamental lack of self confidence. Bush is overly sensitive to criticism. He doesn't listen well. He has the traits of bullies who aren't very brave under the veneer. He's not very honest; he's always trying to make himself look better than he is. And no president has ever spent more on his image.

Increasingly, Bush knows he's a failure. And he's itching to roll the dice while under the delusion that maybe this time he'll get it right. Somebody needs to take away his dice before people get hurt.