re: #786 realwest

Sorry to hear about your hay fever! It’s one thing I used to have as a child/teenager, but seem to have outgrown or swapped for other allergies.
As for Japan, it’s sort of a predicament. Despite WWII and Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese people, historically at least, have always seen themselves as “superior” to others - especially to Black and Caucasian people and of course their history is chock full of attempts to expand their spheres of influence. If they start to believe (and I’d wager that they already have) that the USA cannot be counted on to protect them, they’ll go militarily viral in a nanosecond - even today’s generation of young Japanese are NOT gonna let anyone screw around with them. They have been able to rely on the US and have abided by their (US imposed) constitution for 50+ years now, but there’s no doubt at all in my mind that they’ll do whatever is best for Japan and if the US, Nork, China or anyone else doesn’t like it, methinks Japan will, diplomatically, tell ‘em ALL to go piss up a rope. I’d much rather have Japan as an ally than South Korea or China for that matter.

Exactly!
The same, on a smaller scale, also applies to south Korea: if they think that the USA is no longer going to protect them, they may well gear up and invade the North, regardless of Obowma, China and the rest - but probably with the tacit understanding of Japan.

This is a pretty stinky kettle of fish, and PB0 is totally out of his depth, as is Hillary and all their advisers.