Karl Rove: New Rampart, Old Battles

The South Koreans have been renegotiating the beef deal with the United States.

Left up in the air is the fate of Bush's visit to South Korea. The White House has never formally announced when and if it would take place, but it was widely assumed that Bush would stop there after the Group of Eight summit in Japan next month.

Word is the South Koreans suggested that Bush might meet their president at scenic Jeju Island instead of Seoul, where the likelihood of mass protests is great. That idea reportedly did not go over well at the White House, which is not thrilled with Lee these days.

Another possibility is for Bush to visit after he goes to the Olympics in Beijing in August. Or not to go at all.

The Anti-Bush Tour

Tomorrow, Americans United for Change, the union-funded liberal advocacy group, will unveil its signature project: the 45-foot-long "Bush Legacy Bus," a museum on wheels featuring exhibits on Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq war and other examples of what it considers the troubled legacy of the administration.

The group wants to try to keep Bush's approval ratings in the cellar for as long as it can and will take the bus around the country this summer. The first stop will be for a cookout in front of AFL-CIO headquarters, two blocks north of the White House.

Quote of the Week

"Wishful thinking is no way to fight a war and to protect the American people."

-- President Bush on the Democrats and Iraq, at the President's Dinner, June 18