In the buildup to the first Gulf War, President Bush’s father put a lot of pressure on Japan to get involved — preferably with cash to support the U.S. operation.

Bravo to General Wesley Clark for making his way to Dubai for the Arab Strategy Forum taking place here this week. It was fun to see him earlier today make his way quickly across the room to kibitz with former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen who I am traveling with this week in the UAE….

From time to time, I will invite “guest bloggers” to share ideas and proposals that I feel deserve attention. I may not always agree with the respective blogger.

A former diplomat I greatly respect advised me to avoid dwelling on the John Bolton confirmation and to move on to new policy subjects. He wrote: steve — he’s resigned. let it go. . .

I have been 95% sure it was over — but the administration has always tenaciously held on to that 5% chance — just as those who opposed Bolton held their grip as well when the administration “acted” as if it had the Bolton nomination ready to ram through the Senate. It’s over.

I think Donald Rumsfeld is substantially responsible for many of the most vexing problems facing the United States today in the Middle East, but George W. Bush and Vice President Cheney trump him on the accountability front.

I’m heading back from Vienna, Austria to Washington, DC today. Had several interesting meetings, particularly with IAEA officials here. The technical expertise of those who work in the guts of the IAEA is extremely impressive. Looks like the Baker-Hamilton report is getting leaked in bits and pieces.

Read Nawaf Obaid today in the Washington Post. Read it carefully. The preamble: In February 2003, a month before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, warned President Bush that he would be “solving one problem and creating five more” if he removed Saddam Hussein by force.

I will be on the “Sam Seder Show” on Air America Radio at 10:30 am EST today — chatting with Sam about all things foreign policy here from Vienna, Austria. But on a less optimistic note, take everything that the normally unsentimental, cold-eyed Anthony Cordesman writes below and worsen it by an order of magnitude….

This news is partly good. Nancy Pelosi has dropped her bid for Alcee Hastings to chair the House Intelligence Committee.