Japanese Rebuff Rumsfeld on Eve of Visit

[Snellius]

TOKYO (AP) - Any hope Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had of being greeted in Japan with government assurances of a speedy dispatch of troops to Iraq were dashed even before he arrived Friday.

Rumsfeld was whisked directly from the airport to an evening meeting with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whose government announced a day earlier while Rumsfeld was visiting Guam that it almost certainly will delay sending a contingent of non-combat troops until sometime next year.
...
After Rumsfeld's 45-minute meeting with Koizumi, a Rumsfeld aide who briefed reporters on condition he not be identified said the subject of Japanese troops in Iraq was raised by neither man.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20031114/D7UQESFO1.html

[Faygo Kid]

1. The Japanese are wise

Why get bogged down in this misadventure in Iraq?

[pippin]

2. Snubbed, rebuffed,

protested all over the world: don't these guys get the message?

[GAspnes]

3. in a peculiar way, this reinforces their thinking

it proves that cooperation doesn't work, that the U.S. has to go it alone, and that a Pax Americana is the only viable solution. (/sarcasm)

[info being]

4. But their failure proves this strategy can't work

All the money and weapons in the world still can't tame the human spirit.

[saigon68]

8. Wonder if he'll puke like Bush 1 did

That was outrageous watching the asshole go under the table and BARF out his guts.

[Voltaire99]

5. I wonder what threats Rumsfeld made to the Japanese

Nothing that worked, apparently.

[loudsue]

6. Oh, I'm sure they're not through getting even w/ Japan yet....

you know how this bunch operates....revenge will be sly and slimey, and impact the greatest number of innocent people.

It's a Bush admin. trademark.


:kick:

[Cocoa]

7. time to rename sushi

Freedom Fish.