Kendall, you're right, and I'm glad that someone out there actually seems to know that. However, the Japanese had more pragmatic ideas than just saving face; they actually hoped for a negotiated settlement that would leave them as the predominant Asian power (in "the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, as they called it), finally rid of the shackles of American and European imperialism.

If the Japanese had not been so brutal in trying to achieve their aims (especially in China and southeast Asia), there might be more people today who recognized the legitimacy of a lot of what they were seeking. Unfortunately, even though some of their goals were praiseworthy, they were unspeakably brutal, and had to be stopped.

Back to the original topic, I am not a Bush supporter, but it appears to me that his administration probably handled this appropriately. Finding a way to make the language in formal communications work for both sides is what diplomats do; it took a bit of doing in this case, but they accomplished it. As for the amount of time that went by while our people were held hostage (I know people have been avoiding that word, but that's what it is), and speaking as an ex-military man myself, I don't think any real harm was done.