This guy has been in office 3 months.
President Roh Moo-hyun, after saying he was "uneasy" and "depressed" in an interview with the Munhwa Ilbo last month, said Wednesday at an official appearance that he was beginning to think he would be better off not being the president.
âRecently, the problems Iâve been facing are too difficult,â said President Roh as he met at Cheong Wa Dae with the organizers of last weekend's ceremony in Gwangju to mark the anniversary of the May 18 revolt - the organizers had come to express their apologies for the disturbance that marred the event. âIt is not just this [the May 18 event]. It is inevitable that the nationâs functions have become paralyzed, because everyone is trying to resolve things with their strength. A president cannot concede to everything. With all this strain I am beginning to think I can no longer be the president.â
| When did they put it in a president's job description to concede to everything? Maybe they should consider making being a vertebrate a part of the job description? |
Roh went on: âEven the teachers union holds their opinion and rejects the nationâs functions. So what meaning does the opinion-gathering and decision-making process have? It is not a matter of personal emotions. If this situation continues, I feel I will not able to perform my duties as president properly.â
| Isn't it part of the job to know more about the ramifications of policy than all the carpers? You're supposed to look at the big picture, while they concentrate on their own little picture. When they want something that fits, you can say "okay," and when they want something that doesn't fit, you have to say "no." That's the way vertebrates do it, anyway. |
Explaining the circumstances leading up to the Gwangju incident, Roh said, âI was informed that there was a picket demonstration and I ordered that it be left alone. The roads would be congested, so I made a detour. I only did that because I didnât think it would look nice if I restricted the event and went through it. But things turned out unexpectedly.â
| My surprise meter seems to be working â it's bouncing all over the place â but not because thing "turned out unexpectedly." Where in the world did they get this guy? He makes Jimmy Carter look forceful and competent... |
The president's remarks may seem an expression of fear that labor is driving him into a corner and frustration with the many crises that have racked the nation, such as the freight labor union strike, the May 18 event, the teachers unionâs struggle against the NEIS system and the civil servants' vote scheduled for this week. Never before has a Korean president expressed his distress in such a public way at the beginning of the term. |