Kudos to Colin

The U.S. Secretary of State makes me proud once again...

America's statesman stirred up the nationalist government in India by "referr[ing] to Kashmir as being on the “international agenda;” press[ing] US demand for observation of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by international monitors and call[ing] for release of separatist Kashmiri leaders." It's not a big deal, but Powell has the respect internationally to pursue the U.S. agenda abroad without coming across as an "ugly American". I've seen few politicians able to do that in the relatively short time I've been watching politics, and Powell definitely has my respect.

His other big thing, politically, was meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun in Brunei today. It was short and low-key, characteristic of this administration's approach (Clinton, by contrast, tended to push for more, sometimes yielding better results, sometimes causing resentment). Achieving a peace between North Korea and the South Korea - Japan - USA axis would go a long way to ensuring stability in the region, with unification a more distant - and less stable goal.

Speaking of Koreans, two were sent out of the U.S. last night in exchange for Cliff Floyd. Les Expos, who continue to function as a Sox farm team, have fallen out of contention, and Floyd's reasonable $6.5 million is too much for a team with no televising of their games and almost as few fans in attendance. I'm really sketched out by the deal; unless the Sox can get Floyd longer-term than 3 months I don't think it's worth it to give up Seung Song, the Sox prime prospect, even if he's having a poor year, in addition to Sunny Kim and a Korean - 'scuse me, player - to be named later.