April 15, 2001

Bush is Very Good at Crafting a Non-Apology Apology

I am very pleased tell you this will be a very different kind of column this week because I received a very large avalanche of four requests to elaborate on the very cogent topic in this space last week, verily.

Perhaps you noticed my over-use of the intensifier adjective "very." Once upon a time -- as publisher of six, small newspapers -- I had to cope with newly minted graduates of journalism unacquainted with Roget’s Thesaurus.

Young writers leaned heavily on the lazy persons’ intensifier to the point of boredom. I instructed them: "Use the more dramatic ‘damn’ instead of ‘very.’ Our main-office proof reader kills expletives, thus printing copy fit for readers graduated past the sixth grade."  

This brings us to the requested factoids about the 24 Americans held hostage – yes, hostage – by China for 11 days. They were held against their will for a semantical ransom.

Their surveillance plane on autopilot over international waters was clipped by a hot-dog Chinese jet fighter pilot. He crashed into the sea and has not been found.

Lt. Shane Osborn, pilot of the disabled American plane -- with 23 other crews on board -- had to make a "may-day" landing on the Chinese island of Hainan.

China demanded that the U.S. "admit" it caused the mid-air collision and must apologize.  

President Bush refused to apologize. "We have done no wrong." Nevertheless, he authorized expressions of "regret" that the Chinese airman was killed. As the standoff continued, Bush came closer to apology with "sorry" for the widow of the Chinese pilot.

Concern by Americans grew for the stranded military crew and Bush enlarged the ransom payment to "very sorry." PRC President Jiang Zemin grudgingly accepted these words and let our people go. For the first time in many years at keystroke machines, I recognize a use for "very."

Duyba did good. Disdaining polysyllables, he kept cool with "very."  

I was thrilled to see our 24-member Air Force, Navy and Army technicians step from their rescue plane in Hawaii. Every inch military. Clean cut. Smart salutes. Diversified in race and gender. Devoted to duty.

At the risk of being perceived grinchy, I criticize television for excessive interviews of hostages’ families during the crisis. They, understandably, pleaded "to bring our people home quickly at all costs."  Yet, sentiment encourages rogue states to enlarge upon the hostage technique.

Citizens who volunteer for military service willingly assume greater risks than the rest of us. That’s why we honor them. When we accede to foreign ransom, we denigrate and prolong the brave stand on our behalf of our soldiers, sailors and pilots. Let’s care, but not wallow in it.

Now for facts requested – as gleaned from the major news publications I monitor daily – and from a dozen search engines of web sites as warranted.

U.S. surveillance planes for Asia fly from Okinawa, Japan. They try to determine the status of nuclear testing and location of missile launching sites.

The Peoples Republic of China has exploded nuclear devices, lofted ballistic missiles over Japan toward the U.S. Some sites aimed at Taiwan are already in place. China has declared it will occupy Taiwan by force if necessary. We have defense treaties with Japan and Taiwan.

Red China conducts surveillance flights along Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and Korea coasts. Many nations conduct intelligence operations in their spheres of interest by planes, trawlers and submarines.

By long-held custom, sovereign waters and airspace extends 12 nautical miles out from shore -- the maximum distance a battleship can hurl a shell. This obviously is unrealistic in our age of long-range aircraft and cruise missiles. The U.S. voluntarily observes a 50-mile limit most of the time. Our plane off Hainan was in relatively slow, level flight at this distance when hit from below.

China claims a 200-mile territorial limit by virtue of a 1970 United Nations "Convention on the Law of the Sea." This recognized the 12-nautical mile limit in general. However, it allows a "distance from the base line (low tide) equal to the breadth of the territorial sea." China says its "economic zone" is the entire China Sea. The U.S. and other maritime nations refused to sign or recognize the U.N. convention.

The U.S. Department of Defense says it will resume surveillance flights in the near future "with appropriate measures" of protection.

Very good.

 PARTING SHOTS

CBS-TV talking head Dan Rather apologizes for speaking before an Austin, Texas, Democrat Party fund raiser on the topic "How to Win Elections." First he should learn "How to Win Friends and Influence People."

 * * *

President Bush, formerly managing director and part owner of the Texas Rangers, hosted Baseball Hall of Fame stars for a White House coffee. He and Yogi Berra had some private conversation. Exchanging language pointers?

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers