Max Baucus: “a week-and-a-half ago, I was very proud to see President Bill Clinton stand next to Japanese Prime Minister Hosokawa and…”

“a week-and-a-half ago, I was very proud to see President Bill Clinton stand next to Japanese Prime Minister Hosokawa and declare trade negotiations between United States and Japan a failure. Now, it might seem odd I would be proud that happened, but I say so because it was an honest statement. That is, neither side was papering over real differences in trade matters that have occurred and are now occurring between our two countries. By doing so, President Clinton ended more than 20 years of hypocrisy with Japan that emphasized diplomacy rather than results. The President, rather, demanded real, concrete progress on trade issues, not just more rhetoric. Again, I commend him for that. He showed the courage that is necessary to break a pattern that five American Presidents before him have tolerated. However, it has yet to act on the broader issue of United States-Japan trade. It is time for the United States to demonstrate the courage to back its convictions with action.”