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What's in a name?

Stop. Don't read another article, and don't you dare reach for your almanac.

But ask yourself who the leaders of the following political hot spots are: Taiwan, Chechnya, Pakistan and India. Can't come up with anything? Don't feel bad. In fact, take solace in the fact that you're in good company, namely the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.

Texas Governor and presidential candidate George W. Bush, was caught off guard recently when a Boston reporter asked him to name the leaders of these regions. Bush could only provide one name, and a patronym at that. He gave "Lee" as the name of Taiwanese President Lee Teng-Hui. With this latest development, political pundits have been yapping, comedians have discovered a mother lode of new material and political advisors have been sitting down with their candidates and diplomacy flash cards so as to avoid a similar debacle.

Commentators have come out saying that Bush is in no way qualified to head the country, if he is not familiar with the names of the leaders with whom he will be negotiating sensitive treaties.

Rival candidates are calling this a disgrace. But we, as Americans, should recognize that because Governor Bush is not familiar with the names of leaders of the world, he is in fact the ideal candidate - the one who best represents us in our ignorance and apathy.

As so many of us, myself included, failed to make it out to vote in last week's election - reports stated that only 20 percent of the general public took the time to vote, all barometers indicate we care less about anything outside of our day-planners. This attitude is dangerous because it allows those in power to not be responsible for their actions.

This is especially dangerous because whether we appreciate it or not, America has the strongest military and economic presence in the world. Therefore, we are the most likely to be asked to take action when something goes wrong abroad. As a result, we should know what we are doing and why. This begins with familiarizing ourselves with the issues. A simple effort on Bush's part to do this would have placed the names of these leaders in his active vocabulary.

In his defense, Bush has stated that "America understands that a guy doesn't know the name of every single foreign leader. That's not what Americans are making their choices on about who's going to be president."

Mr. Bush is correct. According to the U.S. Constitution, a president must be 35 years old, a natural-born citizen of the United States and have lived within the country for 14 years.

There are 190 independent states in the world and knowing the leaders of all of them on cue might be nothing but party trivia. And likewise, a good doctor does not need to have the periodic table of elements memorized as he diagnoses a patient. But, Bush's actions bring cause for concern on two fronts:

First, is Mr. Bush so isolated in campaigning that he has failed to keep himself abreast of the issues? A simple reading of today's headlines would make one familiar with the leaders involved in these regions. All four of the regions in question are either war-torn or teetering on the edge of conflict. Is he so concerned with polls that he has forgotten to get familiar with the issues?

Second, has foreign policy become an insignificant plank of Bush's platform? It's not the names as much as the issues. Is this Bush's way of showing that he doesn't care to take the time to deal with the global village because he can be sure that the village will want to deal with him if he's elected.

We, as Americans, have the privilege of living in a peaceful environment and hence, have no reason to be concerned about a region torn by conflict. We cannot relate. We can lead successful, perhaps happier, lives without making ourselves familiar. But, the leaders we elect do not have this privilege. While they do not need to spout off names at the drop of a hat, they do need to familiarize themselves with the issues affecting the world. We can best ensure this happens by first familiarizing ourselves.