Sea Island is a great getaway, even if you're not a world leader.(Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service)

Byline: Mary Ann Anderson

SEA ISLAND, Ga. _ At first glance, Sea Island seems the most unlikely place to host the G-8 Summit, the informal gathering June 8-10 of the leaders from the eight major industrial nations to have a meeting of the minds on the issues and concerns of the world today.

President George W. Bush will be there _ and probably "41," George H.W. Bush, the former president, will show up too, if for nothing else but fond memories. After all, he and Barbara honeymooned here in 1945.

Tony Blair is also coming. Not to mention other big boys like Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, France's Jacques Chirac, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Canada's Paul Martin, Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, and Japan's Junichiro Koizumi.

With an emphasis not on unpronounceable names but on the informal style of the summit, these gentlemen more than likely will be doing a lot of their talking while they're kicking back, drinking gallons of wine, eating mounds of local seafood, ...