Tom Walker wrote: >At some point in the game, the other players have to ask, "Am I just >throwing good money after bad?" The events of May 7, 1999 and after have >given the world -- not least, China -- a clear sign of the U.S. lack of good >faith. The knee-jerk response of the Clinton administration was to excuse >themselves of responsibility. They figured they could short-change China >with a glib evasion. Long ago, back in the Reagan era, Albert Wojnilower said (I'm doing this from memory, so it may not be perfect): "Americans remain a heavily armed, mercurial people. Claims on such people should be made with care." Doug