Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of this resolution recognizing the mutual benefits for the United States and Japan of a treaty which went into effect exactly 50 years ago today. The Asia Pacific region was a dangerous neighborhood a half a century ago. The United States and our allies had just fought the first hot battles of the Cold War on the Korean peninsula. Tensions were high in the Taiwan Strait, and the war in Vietnam was just then emerging on the horizon. A half century later, Asia, while now the prosperous trading hub of the world, is still dangerous. One need only look to the recent torpedoing of a South Korean naval vessel by a reckless North Korea to recognize that the Asia Pacific region is not yet truly pacific. Through all the perils in the Pacific, the United States-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security has stood as a cornerstone of a continued regional peace and prosperity. None of this would be possible without the contribution of the people of Japan, and especially those on Okinawa, through their continued hosting of our proud U.S. Armed Forces. The smooth transition from bitter adversaries to full partners is a tribute to the resiliency and the farsightedness of two peoples on opposite sides of the Pacific: the people of the United States and the people of Japan.…”