corrente

From Asahi Shimbun here:

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will likely greet U.S. President George W. Bush with open arms next month-but the wallet may be closed.

The Japanese government has yet to define its strategy on Iraq. Even the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces to the country-the topic of fierce debate-is up in the air because of instability in Iraq.

Equally unclear is financial assistance. The government, financially strapped itself, has not compiled an estimate on how much it is willing-or able-to contribute, according to a government source.

And an editorial here:

Often, when we actually see a person we usually see only on television, that person strikes us as unexpectedly small. The White House struck me the same way when I saw it in the U.S. capital for the first time.

The small White House has sent out massive ``bills.''

The mess in Iraq has fundamentally resulted from the Bush administration's pursuit of unilateralism.

In his farewell address, George Washington, the first American president, said, ``Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all. ... Nothing is more essential than that permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular Nations, and passionate attachments for others, should be excluded.''

Washington's farewell address holds out eternal lessons to be learned by all leaders.

Oh well. At least the Poles are with us...