Potomac Correspondence: It Might Be Too Early, but…

Published in Sankei
(Japan) on 16 February 2011
by Rui Sasaki (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Lynn Allmon. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
This month, for three days, from the 10th to the 12th, in a hotel near the north part of Washington's National Zoo, the Republican Party's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was held.

I thought this established yearly event was difficult to make into a news article, but because influential statesmen and rumored candidates for next year's presidential election assembled, they seemed to be half-mocking me with their frequent visits.

Actually, this hotel, just before the Japan-America outbreak of war, was a high-class apartment where, during Japan-America negotiations, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, who severely tormented the Japanese side, and other high government officials lived. When I thought about how, in order to attend negotiations in absolute secrecy, U.S.-stationed ambassador Kichisaburou Nomura frequently went back and forth to and from this place, I was deeply moved.

Every day thousands of people gather in the assembly hall after a successful year and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney criticizes "Obama Diplomacy" with a large chorus. If you saw only this, it would already seem like the presidential election was in full swing.

Mr. Romney criticizes entering into the new nuclear disarmament pact as taking a weak attitude towards Russia and criticizes Republican Party Senate leader John Thune's terrorist control as unsatisfactory.

As far as economic measures, it looks as if the conservative camp criticizes Obama's "clinging strategy," meeting the Republican Party half-way, directly. It might be too early, but there are indications that next year's presidential election will concern things such as Iran, China and North Korea policy, and "inward facing Obama diplomacy" (Newsweek) will certainly become one point at issue.


【外信コラム】
ポトマック通信 気は早いが…
2011.2.16 02:57

 今月10日から12日までの3日間、ワシントン北部の国立動物園近くにあるホテルで、共和党系の「保守政治行動会議」(CPAC)が開かれた。

 毎年恒例の行事でニュース記事にはなりにくいと思ったが、来年の大統領選への出馬が取り沙汰される有力政治家が集まるため、冷やかし半分で日参した。

 実はこのホテル、さきの日米開戦直前、日米交渉で日本側をさんざん苦しめたコーデル・ハル国務長官ら政府高官が住んでいた高級アパートだった。極秘交渉に臨むため、野村吉三郎駐米大使が足しげく通った場所だと思うと感慨深い。

 会場は連日数千人が集う盛況ぶりで、登壇したミット・ロムニー元マサチューセッツ州知事らは“オバマ外交”批判の大合唱。ここだけ見れば、もう大統領選真っ盛りという案配だ。

 ロムニー氏は新たな核軍縮条約を締結した対露外交を弱腰とし、共和党上院幹部のジョン・スーン氏はテロリストの取り締まりが物足りないと批判した。

 景気対策で共和党に歩み寄るオバマ氏の“抱きつき戦略”を正面から批判しづらくなった保守陣営。気は早いが、来年の大統領選はイランや中国、北朝鮮政策などをめぐり、「内向きなオバマ外交」(米誌ニューズウィーク)の是非が争点の一つになる気配だ。(佐々木類)
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