Robert Amsterdam

Following some brief talks at the APEC Summit in Sydney, Presidents George Bush and Vladimir Putin gave a short press conference, saying they discussed "important issues" and that the conversations have been "constructive" and "positive." In other words they said nothing at all.

However, in response to a little quip from Bush that during the Kennebunkport visit, Putin was the only one of the two to catch fish, the Russian president extended the following invitation:

PRESIDENT PUTIN: And we also agreed that we will go fishing not only in the United States but also in a Siberian river at some point.

Uh oh, George! You know what that means! Macho time with the Russian Marlboro man!

(Reuters)

George better start working out - It seems that thanks to Putin, "fishing trip" has a whole new meaning. Perhaps Vladimir was feeling charitable toward his embattled colleague, who spent most of the summit making a colossal fool of himself.