(Who will get former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick’s job?) The real answer to this question is that R. Nicholas Burns should be. If not Burns, then the person Condi should nominate is US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad.

After November 7th, when it is appearing more and more likely that the Dems will take the House of Representatives, George W. Bush loses one of his (until now) free hands to do what he pleases.

China must have pounded Kim Jong Il in private meetings to get the kind of confession of error he was reported to have made. North Korea needs a deal — and so does the United States. The North Korea nuclear problem will require a high price to resolve, but it’s worth it.

When I left Japan on Tuesday, I had breakfast in the Orchid Room at the Okura Hotel, still the Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge equivalent for power breakfasts in Japan.

Joe Lieberman knows the ways of the Senate. He knows that there are votes that matter — and votes that don’t.

Just back to Washington after a long trip back from Tokyo. Our plane got diverted for an emergency landing to Anchorage, Alaska after a person on board was felled by a serious stroke.

Thanks to Steve for giving me a chance to blog about (flog?) my new book The American Way of Strategy — which, if you’re interested, I’ll be discussing with Lou Dobbs this evening on “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on CNN, 6 pm EST.

I have been learning a lot of behind the scenes stuff on this Japan trip. I realize that many TWN readers are not into the soap opera that is Japanese politics, but I used to be a real addict and find myself easily sucked in to the complex intrigue here. A couple of quick things….

We needed to see it for ourselves. Today, George Soros, a few others, and I visited Yasukuni Shrine — both the war memorial and the adjacent museum.

George Soros met me in Japan last night, and we had a fascinating dinner with Tadashi Yamamoto, President of the Japan Center for International Exchange.