The recent summit held by U.S. President Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin resembled a rendezvous of two ships moving in opposite directions. Putin has just reached the epicenter of power, Clinton is departing. Putin has just begun his historic record, Clinton is finishing his. Putin is riding a tide of popularity while Clinton remains in power due to the sheer magnanimity of legislators in the wake of his impeachment. Putin's name is normally accompanied by flattering adjectives like "assertive" and "aggressive," while Clinton is simply known as a "lame duck."

Clinton has spent seven and a half years in the White House, Putin has occupied the Kremlin for only five months. But Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky ruined him as a statesman, and as a result Putin did not feel at all intimidated by the president's stature and experience.

By definition, a summit of this kind could not result in any important agreement. The Kremlin regards Clinton as a hopeless lightweight; the White House does not like Putin's ambition and wants to cut him down to size.