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North Korea to expel South Koreans from resort Saturday,August 9th 2008
 

BANGKOK, Thailand -- U.S. Secret Service agents have knocked on the door of a hole-in-the-wall shop run by two turbaned Sikhs to take delivery of a special package for President Bush - five Egyptian cotton shirts in blue and white.

Thousands of miles from Washington, the Bushes have stitched close ties with the Bangkok tailors. Over the years, they have turned out clothes for not only the president, but his father and other family members.

"This time, I don't think he will have time to have a suit made," said Victor Gulati of Rajawongse Clothier. "Besides, we would have to remeasure him."

Just in case, Gulati and his father, Jesse, are standing by their mobile phones during Bush's 24-hour visit to Thailand that starts Wednesday evening.

"If he does order a suit they'll tell us at the last minute," Victor Gulati said, recalling how former President George H.W. Bush gave them half an hour's notice before coming to the shop in 2006 to order jackets for his sons and himself.

The president's own last order of two suits and five shirts came during his 2003 stay in Bangkok for the annual meeting of leaders of Pacific Rim nations. The tailors had three days for fittings then.

The place obviously has earned the seal of presidential approval.

---

Beef. It's what's for lunch in Seoul.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak had to be careful earlier Wednesday about what Bush was served for lunch at the presidential mansion.

Leave U.S. beef off the menu, and Lee would look like he was kowtowing to the thousands of South Koreans protesting against U.S. beef imports.

Serve American beef and it would fuel the demonstrators' belief that Lee cares more than anything about cozying up to the Americans.

The issue was resolved by serving both.

The two leaders ate Korean beef, dining on "galbi," or grilled short ribs. And they ate U.S. tenderloin steak, known in Korean as "anshim," according to the president's office.

Back in April when Bush hosted Lee at the Camp David presidential retreat, they dined together on Texas black Angus beef tenderloin.

Just hours before that meeting South Korea agreed to lift a ban on American beef that was imposed after the United States' first case of mad cow disease was discovered in late 2003. Lee's government said it would allow virtually unlimited imports.

That triggered weeks of massive angry protests against U.S. beef imports. The protests mostly died down after Seoul won amendments to the beef deal to ban American meat from older cattle and other safeguards. U.S. beef imports resumed July 29, although many larger South Korean stores and restaurants have refused to serve the meat due to the backlash.

---

Bush knows the drill: Down in front.

When Bush joined Lee for meetings at the South Korean presidential estate, photographers jockeyed for position.

It's a standard activity for the media scrum that follows the president around the globe. This time, the scene went awry when a string of staff members from the South Korean side walked in front of the photographers, temporarily ruining the shot of the two presidents.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey," one photographer said as the diplomatic session began.

Bush laughed, then retorted: "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!"

It wasn't the only time he poked some fun at the press.

During his news conference later with Lee, which took place outside in the scorching sun, Bush clearly noted that some members of the U.S. press corps were sweating.

"Thank you very much for your attention," he said. "Thank you for your questions. Why don't you go find a shade tree to stand under?
 
 
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