Bush to Speak at South Korea on Free Trade

Source: Wall Street Journal

MAY 13, 2009, 3:44 A.M. ET

SEOUL – Former U.S. President George W. Bush accepted an invitation to speak to a South Korean business group in August on trade and security issues, a person familiar with his plans said Wednesday.

The speech, at a gathering of the Federation of Korean Industries on Aug. 1, will be his second in Asia since he left office in January. Mr. Bush spoke in Boao, China, last month.

In his public appearances, Mr. Bush hasn't criticized President Barack Obama, his successor. His speech in South Korea will focus on trade policy, according to the person familiar with his plans, one area of difference between the two presidencies.

The U.S. under Mr. Bush's administration forged a free trade agreement with South Korea in 2007, the biggest such deal in value for the U.S. since 1994. The Democrat-led Congress hasn't yet ratified the deal. Mr. Obama criticized it during last year's campaign, though he has expressed more openness to it since taking office.

The group hosting Mr. Bush is comprised of South Korea's largest manufacturers and is supportive of ratification of the pact. A committee in South Korea's National Assembly recently approved sending it to the full parliament for ratification.

Analysts estimate the two-way trade relationship, now valued at about $80 billion a year, will grow about 20% in the five years after the trade pact is ratified. South Korea will continue to maintain a surplus in the relationship, though it is likely to narrow, according to estimates.



Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124219763611714439.html

That's a sure way to get him to a speaking engagement.

There was a minor scandal that Poppy was getting $2 million or so to stumble his way through a meaningless speech, gladhand a few social climbers, and pick up a hefty check right after he was unceremoniously tossed from the White House. So you gotta figure that Bush Jr. is looking to pocket at least $3 million to refill "the old coffers" since he's been living on a fixed salary in government housing for the last eight years.

I bet he'll choke on it anyway.

Turnabout is fair play.

:shrug:

What is going to do? Be in a ship off the coast with a Bull Horn?

from the Banpo bridge in downtown Seoul committing suicide. The Banpo is a neat double-decker bridge, lower deck floods over when the Han River gets to much rain. It divides Seoul between north and south. Banpo is a site where lots of Korean government and business officials jumped into the river to their deaths. At least it was when I was stationed there a few years ago. We can only hope Bush follows the Korean example for disgraced leaders....