■"Bush Shifts Focus Back to China: Beijing's Rising Power Again Makes It a Foreign-Policy Priority for U.S.," by Greg Jaffe and Jay Solomon,
Wall Street Journal, 3 June 2005, p. A4.

■"Rumsfeld Issues A Sharp Rebuke To China On Arms: Sees A Broad Risk To Asia; In Singapore Speech, He Urges More Trade and Political Freedoms," by Thom Shanker, New York Times, 4 June 2005, p. A1.

■"East Asia Fears Superpower Squeeze: China's Neighbors Are Wary of Washington-Beijing Rift, As U.S. Criticizes Mainland," by Jay Solomon and Barry Wain, Wall Street Journal, 6 June 2005, p. A9.

Donald Rumsfeld carries some Dick Cheney water to Singapore, sounding yet another Bush administration warning about "rising China."

He notes China's rising defense spending and asks, Who threatens China?

Well, the chief Chinese delegate asked the same thing about America.

If Rummy were to answer, "International terrorism!" couldn't China do the same?

China wants to be big in Asian security, so give it a venue to express that bigness, say I. Give them an East Asian NATO-and fast.

As I warned in Esquire in February: the price will only go up.