A couple of days ago I said that Bush and Kim of North Korea were more alike than not...now an article in the Taipei Times by journalist Liou To-hai makes and validates some of the comparisons. Interesting reading, here's an excerpt:

...
Bush graduated from top universities, with a bachelor's degree in history from Yale and a master's degree in business management from Harvard. Before winning the presidency, he was governor of Texas for two terms (1994 to 2000).

Kim, after graduating from Kim Il-sung University in 1964, was immediately appointed as an instructor in the organizational instruction department of the Workers' Party. In September 1973, he replaced his uncle as secretary of the party's propaganda department and became the anointed successor to his father, Kim Il-sung. When his father died in 1994, Kim Jong-il took over the reins of government.

Against this kind of background, Bush and Kim both have strong beliefs and almost religious faith in their beliefs. Bush views himself as the savior of Christianity and regards the separation of good from evil as paramount. He insists on not compromising with what he believes to be evil forces and believes that evil must be eradicated to save the people of the world.

Kim, brought up in a society that worships his father and family, is viewed as a god by North Koreans. Nurtured by his father's anti-imperialism and anti-US thinking and his emphasis on self-determination, he has strong self-esteem and the willpower to act out his beliefs.
...

Scary, huh? Too bad the SCLM will never make the connections; it might put the 2004 contest in a whole new light. The only thing that Kim is missing is Howard Fineman doing FReePR for him.