Joe Lieberman: “I rise today to offer this bipartisan amendment, a sense-of-the-Senate resolution expressing our concern about the…”

“I rise today to offer this bipartisan amendment, a sense-of-the-Senate resolution expressing our concern about the impact of Japan's recession on the economies of East Asia, Southeast Asia and the United States, and particularly appealing to the members--our colleagues and friends--of the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan, which is meeting tomorrow to choose their new president, who will in turn become the next Prime Minister of Japan--to be mindful of the very profound and friendly concern that we have in the U.S. Senate about the condition of the Japanese economy, about its impact on the people of Japan, of Asia, and indeed, of the United States. I am privileged to offer this bipartisan amendment on behalf of Senators Thomas, Graham, Lugar, Bingaman, Brownback, Durbin, Kohl, Reid, Mack, Breaux and Inhofe. For almost a half century, the United States has worked with Japan for the common goals of peace, stability, democracy and prosperity in East Asia and the world. However, in the face of the deepening Asian economic crisis, this alliance currently faces what may be its toughest challenge yet. So far, the United States has survived the Asian crisis relatively unscathed, thanks to our long-lived boom economy. But I fear that good fortune may now be ending. By some estimates, worldwide GDP growth will drop from 3.7 percent this year to 2.4 percent next year.”