A little extra insight on the challenge we're facing, via Joi Ito's Web:

The Americans had arrived in our hometown. We had gotten word that they were going to use our home, the largest house in the area, as their local headquarters. Our household gathered, kneeling, at our genkan, steeled to face the occupiers. My great grandmother, nearly blind at the time, was the head of the household, and her daughter and two sons flanked her, the grandchildren shooed off to hidden rooms. As the soldiers entered our home, they started to step up from the genkan into the home. My great grandmother, a battle-scarred early feminist, hissed, �gGet your filthly barbarian shoes off of my floor!�h The interpreter refused to interpret. The soldier insisted. Upon hearing the translation from the red-faced interpreter, the soldier sat on the floor and removed his boots, instructing his men to do the same. He apologized to my great grandmother. Now it was her turn to be surprised.

I think we can consider this a source of pride for both Japan and the United States. I'm just worried that Bush and Rumsfeld aren't Roosevelt and Eisenhower, either literally or metaphorically. There's hope, but I think it's a lot thinner if we're really getting ready to invade Syria.

Our most shining moment was when we were faced with the possibility of empire and refused it.