First some background: The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb "Note: This section is intended as an objective overview of the decision to use the atomic bomb for new students of the issue. For the other side of the issue, go here."
Excerpt: "The government responsible for the war would be dismantled, there would be a military occupation of Japan, and the nation would be reduced in size to pre-war borders. The military, after being disarmed, would be permitted to return home to lead peaceful lives. Assurance was given that the allies had no desire to enslave or destroy the Japanese people, but there would be war crimes trials. Peaceful industries would be allowed to produce goods, and basic freedoms of speech, religion, and thought would be introduced. The document concluded with an ultimatum: "We call upon the Government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all the Japanese armed forces…the alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction." To bomb supporters, the Potsdam Declaration was m5ore than fair in its surrender terms and in its warning of what would happen should those terms be rejected. The Japanese did not respond to the declaration." |
"White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that if anyone does “interpret it that way, they’ll be interpreting it wrongly.”
"Wrongly? So Obama won’t say the word “apologize,” but is it effectively an apology?
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"Benjamin Rhodes, President Obama’s national security advisor for strategic communication (who has his own credibility problems), reflected on the decision in a blog:
He will not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Instead, he will offer a forward-looking vision focused on our shared future.—The President’s time in Hiroshima also will reaffirm America’s longstanding commitment — and the President’s personal commitment — to pursue the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.That commitment has guided our efforts to promote non-proliferation and nuclear security — a theme at the heart of four Nuclear Security Summits that the President hosted — and to take concrete steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our security and in the policies of other global powers.Finally, the visit will also symbolize how far the United States and Japan have come in building a deep and abiding alliance based on mutual interests, shared values, and an enduring spirit of friendship between our peoples.
"Despite these words, some in the administration who believe the Japanese will take President Obama’s words as an apology. Jeffrey Hornun, Security and Foreign Affairs fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, said if he makes a speech “he would be in danger of his words being misinterpreted, politicized, and over-analyzed as pundits debate what he said, what he should have said, and what he did not say.”
"President Obama received the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 after he said he wanted to reduce nuclear weapons during his presidency. Yet, the U.S. signed a landmark nuclear agreement that could allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. The regime has already fired off missiles since October 2015, which has “raised U.S concern that Iran wasn’t abiding by” that agreement."
Will Obama say the "A" word or perform the "B" word as below?
. . . "After all, he's not going to become Secretary General of the UN without campaigning for it."
