Wikileaks: Obama attempted to APOLOGIZE for US nuking of Japan during WWII

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/12/141276162/wikileaks-japan-rebuffed-idea-of-u-s-apology-for-hiroshima

I surely hope this gets made public.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The sooner the idea that America is anything more or less than a particularly powerful, ideologically progressive (or at least it used to be) nation-state dies the death, the better. This sneering contempt of basic politeness on the part of our leaders has got to stop.

'President Obama fails to realize that being the leader of the Free World, the last best hope for mankind, means never having to say you're sorry.'

...What the actual fuck.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

why should the US apologize to Japan?  Japan started the war, Japan continued the war, Japan was allied with Hitler,and  Japan was also working on nukes with the intent on using them against the US.

So, I truly hope Obama attempts to explain to the American people why he, as POTUS, attempted to apologize for President Truman's decision to nuke, and nuke again, Japan.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

why should the US apologize to Japan?  Japan started the war, Japan continued the war, Japan was allied with Hitler,and  Japan was also working on nukes with the intent on using them against the US.

We're not apologizing for doing any of those things, though. We're apologizing for atom-bombing civilian population centers, which Japan did not in fact do (also, citation needed on Japan working on nukes).

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Because he atom-bombed civilian population centers, that's why. It was a tragic necessity at best. Nothing to be proud of.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

why should the US apologize to Japan?  Japan started the war, Japan continued the war, Japan was allied with Hitler,and  Japan was also working on nukes with the intent on using them against the US.

We're not apologizing for doing any of those things, though. We're apologizing for atom-bombing civilian population centers, which Japan did not in fact do (also, citation needed on Japan working on nukes).

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Because he atom-bombed civilian population centers, that's why. It was a tragic necessity at best. Nothing to be proud of.

your igorance of Japan's actions during the war is just plain bannable - not to mention outright ignorant.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

seriously, Nathan, if you're not aware that Japan murdered MILLIONS of civilians during the war, you really don't deserve to be in this thread.   So do yourself a favor and GET LOST.

[Iosif]

Yes, being at war with someone justifies nuking hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.

It's what Jesus would've done.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

seriously, Nathan, if you're not aware that Japan murdered MILLIONS of civilians during the war, you really don't deserve to be in this thread.   So do yourself a favor and GET LOST.

I assure you, I am not ignorant of Japan's actions. I simply, unlike you, don't have a retributive view of justice. Are you a Japanese major specialising in the Taisho and early Showa periods? No? I didn't think so. You get lost.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Yes, being at war with someone justifies nuking hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.

It's what Jesus would've done.

when did Jesus, who claimed to be the King of Israel, apologize for any of the military campaigns listed in the OT?

stop kidding yourself, you're not smart, and you don't know much history, either biblical or modern.  Japan killed upwards of 10,000,000 (ten million) civilians during WWII - enough to make Hitler blush.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

seriously, Nathan, if you're not aware that Japan murdered MILLIONS of civilians during the war, you really don't deserve to be in this thread.   So do yourself a favor and GET LOST.

I assure you, I am not ignorant of Japan's actions. I simply, unlike you, don't have a retributive view of justice. Are you a Japanese major specialising in the Taisho and early Showa periods? No? I didn't think so. You get lost.

it wasn't for retribution which we nuked Japan, it was to end the war activities of Japan, activities which systematically tortured and killed millions upon millions of Asians and attacked the United States.

[Iosif]

Yes, being at war with someone justifies nuking hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.

It's what Jesus would've done.

when did Jesus, who claimed to by the King of Israel, apologize for any of the military campaigns listed in the OT?

stop kidding yourself, you're not smart, and you don't know much history, either biblical or modern.  Japan killed upwards of 10,000,000 (ten million) civilians during WWII - enough to make Hitler blush.

Love that logic. Guess the allies should have gassed a bunch of Germans in concentrations camps. It's only their comeuppance.

And name-calling, how Christian.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Obviously, Obama should be impeached (and subsequently executed) for treason.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Yes, being at war with someone justifies nuking hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.

It's what Jesus would've done.

when did Jesus, who claimed to by the King of Israel, apologize for any of the military campaigns listed in the OT?

stop kidding yourself, you're not smart, and you don't know much history, either biblical or modern.  Japan killed upwards of 10,000,000 (ten million) civilians during WWII - enough to make Hitler blush.

Japan had four per cent of its population killed, of which maybe...a fifth? At most? Were complicit in the crimes of groups like Unit 731 or those responsible for the Rape of Nanking. And most of the people who did those things lived. And none or almost of the ones who were killed (killings that were as justified as killing can ever get) were killed in the atom bombings. You know who were killed in the atom bombings? People like Hayashi Kyouko's family (If you don't know who Hayashi Kyouko is you have no right to be discussing the atom bombings at all).

The United States lost about one third of one per cent of its population--granted, almost none were war criminals, because that wasn't for the most part how the United States rolled.

It wasn't (and isn't) at all clear whether or not the Japanese government was ready to agree to a negotiated surrender, but that was at least in part because of translation errors relating to the verb 黙殺 (and whether Suzuki's use of it was meant for domestic or foreign consumption). See: http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/tech_journals/mokusatsu.pdf

seriously, Nathan, if you're not aware that Japan murdered MILLIONS of civilians during the war, you really don't deserve to be in this thread.   So do yourself a favor and GET LOST.

I assure you, I am not ignorant of Japan's actions. I simply, unlike you, don't have a retributive view of justice. Are you a Japanese major specialising in the Taisho and early Showa periods? No? I didn't think so. You get lost.

it wasn't for retribution which we nuked Japan, it was to end the war activities of Japan, activities which systematically tortured and killed millions upon millions of Asians and attacked the United States.

So you admit that it was a tragic necessity and something that should not have occurred.

[Iosif]

Using the massacre of civilians to justify the massacre of civilians.

And I'm the one who gets called stupid.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Love that logic. Guess the allies should have gassed a bunch of Germans in concentrations camps. It's only their comeuppance.

the US didn't kill Japanese civilians after the war was over, instead the US nuked Japan to bring Japan to surrender.  After the war was over, the US poured billions into Japan and Germany to rebuild them, as no other nation has ever done for it's former enemies in the history of this world.

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And name-calling, how Christian.

again, your comments are ignorant, for Jesus himself engaged in name-calling.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

So you admit that it was a tragic necessity and something that should not have occurred.

no, I admit it was a necessity and something I would do again any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

[krazen1211]

Yep, this is not your father's Democratic party.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Yes, being at war with someone justifies nuking hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.

It's what Jesus would've done.

when did Jesus, who claimed to be the King of Israel, apologize for any of the military campaigns listed in the OT?

I'm still waiting for an answer to this question.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Love that logic. Guess the allies should have gassed a bunch of Germans in concentrations camps. It's only their comeuppance.

the US didn't kill Japanese civilians after the war was over, instead the US nuked Japan to bring Japan to surrender.  After the war was over, the US poured billions into Japan and Germany to rebuild them, as no other nation has ever done for it's former enemies in the history of this world.

Which mitigates the fact that the United States killed innocents exactly as much as that fact mitigates the fact that Japan killed innocents.

So you admit that it was a tragic necessity and something that should not have occurred.

no, I admit it was a necessity and something I would do again any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

血溜澑が大好きですね...

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Also, will Obama admit to this attempted apology?  In fact, we can have the entire 2012 election be about this one issue is it so pleases you bleeding heart liberals.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/17677/majority-supports-use-atomic-bomb-japan-wwii.aspx

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Also, will Obama admit to this attempted apology?  In fact, we can have the entire 2012 election be about this one issue is it so pleases you bleeding heart liberals.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/17677/majority-supports-use-atomic-bomb-japan-wwii.aspx

The majority also supports state-sponsored revenge killings the death penalty. Also I don't think many people are going to be particularly concerned with this. I'm only concerned because you're using the history of the country of which I'm making academic study to score cheap points that exist only in your head.

[You kip if you want to...]

seriously, Nathan, if you're not aware that Japan murdered MILLIONS of civilians during the war, you really don't deserve to be in this thread.   So do yourself a favor and GET LOST.

What is it Jesus said about an eye for an eye?

[John Dibble]

Now, maybe this is just a crazy suggestion here, but how do we know that you and the article in question aren't reading too much into this? I mean, this is really the only sentence we have to go on:

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It doesn't mention anything about whether Obama actually offered to do so. It does not mention whether the US or Japan broached the notion for whatever reason. There is simply not enough information here to jump to conclusions about who said what, other than the Japanese ambassador thinking that it's a bad idea. I would imagine that there should be some other related cables that might give more insight, but we don't have those as of yet.

[DrScholl]

Oh, much ado about absolutely nothing at all. Rather or not it had to be done is not the point, the point is a lot of people who didn't do anything wrong were harmed.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

The majority also supports state-sponsored revenge killings the death penalty.

so, does that mean prison is "state-sponsored revenge confinement"?  if prison isn't "revenge", then how is the death penalty?

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Also I don't think many people are going to be particularly concerned with this. I'm only concerned because you're using the history of the country of which I'm making academic study to score cheap points that exist only in your head.

I accept the histories of both counties, but I not about to apology for nuking a country that attacked us and was trying to nuke us.

And I don't know where this stupid version of morality came from where we somehow feel we are moral if we apologize for the actions of past generations...I have both German and English blood in me, and my English side doesn't expect my German side to apologize for the faults of the German portion of my family tree, or vice versa.

I don’t go up to black people and apologize for slavery.  I don’t apologize to my wife for other men beating their wives.  I don’t apologize to citizens of banana republics just because I am an American.