PHOTO: Russian military leaders take North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, center right, on a tour of a Pacific Fleet frigate in Vladivostok, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP)
I think the photo above does not accurately portray the fun that was had, by North Korean and Russian officials during last weekend’s visit to Vladivostok and Artyom, by North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
Nor does it hint at the joyful gift exchange that took place.
In fact, the photo makes it appear that everyone was in a bad mood during the visit. But that’s the Russian media for you… they write news that makes you want to bring out the vodka bottle and drown your sorrows.
Things that could have made the news more uplifting? The fact that Kim was serenaded by military orchestra as he boarded his specially equipped armored train home on Sunday? The (rumored) arms deal, whereby Russia will buy weapons from North Korea, to keep the war in Ukraine on track to be potentially endless? (Sort of like the U.S. war in Afghanistan had seemed, for a while. Russia is always trying to show us up.)
Over the weekend, the leader of North Korea attended “The Sleeping Beauty” ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre. How could you pick a better theme, for the Supreme Leader of North Korea?
Kim also visited an aquarium, where he watched marine animals perform.
A photo of Kim posing with the Russian version of “Flipper” would have been a nice touch. Instead, we get a bunch of dour-looking Russians escorting the Supreme Leader on a tour of battleships. Even Kim doesn’t seem too pleased with the tour.
On the happier side of things, Kim was bequeathed five kamikaze drones, a reconnaissance drone, and a bulletproof vest by the governor of the Primorsky region, which borders China and North Korea, Tass reported on Sunday.
The bulletproof vest was an especially thoughtful gift, I think. But I hope it doesn’t make Kim look uncomfortably overweight.
I’m actually a little bit jealous of the North Koreans.
The people that wrote the U.S. Constitution gave our President the job of executing federal laws and overseeing the military, but they let Congress be in charge of the budget, and writing the laws. And declaring war.
But a little country like North Korea gets to have a Supreme Leader, who is basically in charge of everything.
It’s so much more efficient to have one guy making all the decisions. And also, so much easier to give out gifts, when you don’t have to include a President, plus 535 members of Congress.
(I guess, technically, you don’t have to give gifts to all 535 members. Just to the party with the majority. But that’s still a lot of gifts.)
I think we could have had a Supreme Leader, if we had re-elected Donald Trump in 2020. He seems like the kind of person who could easily become a Supreme Leader, given his experience on the reality-show, The Apprentice.
One of the necessary skills for a Supreme Leader is the ability to pronounce, with confidence, “You’re fired!”
Or better yet, “Off with his head!”
I don’t think Joe Biden could say either of those things, comfortably.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all.