Pence Confirms He's an Ass; Gets Upstaged By Kim Jong-un’s Sister

Mike Pence - rude and arrogant in Pyeongchang

When I travel abroad almost monthly during my in-house counsel days, I witnessed many examples of "ugly Americans" who gave/give America a bad image abroad.  A classic was when standing in line to enter the Louvre, some overweight midwestern Americans were loudly bitching that the McDonalds on the Champs Elysee wasn't just like to one in their home town.  Of course, other examples of American rudeness and bad manners were all to numerous.  At the opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Mike Pence continued this tradition of making America look bad in foreign eyes when he only stood for the American teem and insulted the host nation.  He likewise snubbed the president of South Korea and failed to appear at a dinner prior to the opening ceremony.  Pence's ignorance embracing, racist, Christian extremist supporters may have loved his bad behavior, but for thinking Americans, Pence is a huge embarrassment - almost on the scale of Der Trumpenführer.  Moreover, Pence allowed himself to be upstaged by Kim Jong-un’s sister who sought to exemplify politeness and grace.  An article in the New York Times looks at Pence's failure.  Here are excerpts:

When the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, decided to send a large delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea this month, the world feared he might steal the show.

If that was indeed his intention, he could not have chosen a better emissary than the one he sent: his only sister, Kim Yo-jong, whom news outlets in the South instantly dubbed “North Korea’s Ivanka,” . . . .

Flashing a sphinx-like smile and without ever speaking in public, Ms. Kim managed to outflank Mr. Trump’s envoy to the Olympics, Vice President Mike Pence, in the game of diplomatic image-making.

While Mr. Pence came with an old message — that the United States would continue to ratchet up “maximum sanctions” until the North dismantled its nuclear arsenal — Ms. Kim delivered messages of reconciliation as well as an unexpected invitation from her brother to the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, to visit Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.

Mr. Pence drew the greatest reaction for where he did not appear: most pointedly, at a dinner Mr. Moon hosted before the opening ceremony. That meant that he avoided spending much time with the North Korean delegation, including Kim Yong-nam, the country’s ceremonial head of state.

And while the unified Korean Olympic team received a standing ovation as they marched into the stadium Friday night, Mr. Pence remained seated, which critics said was disrespectful of the athletes and his host, Mr. Moon.

Mr. Pence is playing “right into North Korea’s hands by making it look like the U.S. is straying from its ally and actively undermining efforts for inter-Korean relations,”. . . . Ms. Kim, on the other hand, “is a very effective tip of the spear for the North Korean charm offensive,” Mr. Oba said.

“The fact that he and Mrs. Pence didn’t stand when the unified team came in was a new low in a bullying type of American diplomacy.”

As the first immediate member of the North’s ruling family to visit South Korea, Ms. Kim was swarmed by the local news media. Even before she touched down in her brother’s private jet at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, the approach of the plane drew news exhaustive coverage.