Most of the time I forget that we have any allies in the war on Iraq. besides Great Britian. A lot of the countries that joined us have left often due to pressure from the citizens of each country.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japan's election next month could end up costing the United States another ally in Iraq, a symbolic blow to Washington even if Tokyo's overall pro-U.S. foreign policy doesn't change, experts said on Tuesday.
Both Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party support the decades-old U.S.-Japan security alliance, and the September 11 vote is being fought largely over Koizumi's financial reform agenda.
Koizumi has forged close ties with U.S President George W. Bush, bucking opposition to provide logistics support for U.S. forces in Afghanistan and to send 550 Japanese troops to Iraq in Tokyo's first significant overseas deployment since 1945.
The Democratic Party's policy platform includes pledges to withdraw Japanese troops from Iraq by December -- following other countries like Spain, Poland, Ukraine and Italy.
http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=9392276&src=rss/ElectionCo
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Even though it would be a symbolic blow to the United States, it is still significant. Japan simply represents another group of people that does not agree with the needless war in Iraq.
As Bush struggles daily with the decision he has made, the United States soldiers actually live out the decision. It is very good news to realize that the rest of the world supports the anti-war movement. But it is disconcerning at the same time.
I am tired of our Presdident and the Republican-controlled congress making me look bad. We all look bad. We let this guy get a elected again.
If Japan's Democratic Party wins this election, I hope they follow their platform to remove troops. It could be a stance that a Democratic Presidential candidate takes in the U.S. 2008 election and ride it to victory.