I'M TAKING MY BALL AND GOING HOME:

Philippine leader riles closest allies in yielding to kidnappers (PAUL ALEXANDER, July 18, 2004, Chicago Sun-Times)

Two weeks ago, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was one of Washington's best friends. Angelo dela Cruz was toiling in anonymity 5,000 miles away, starting a drive into Iraq with a truckload of fuel.

Then, with a rattle of gunfire, Iraqi insurgents hijacked both of their lives, setting off a chain of events that has left Arroyo criticized by her closest allies even as dela Cruz, a father of eight, has emerged as an unlikely national icon.

Behind the scenes, it is a tale of negotiations that led to a policy flip-flop that could hurt the rest of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.

Washington says ties with Manila won't be affected, but the question now is whether it will remain willing to continue counterterrorism training with the Philippine military.

National security isn't conducted like a game of kickball on the playground. The idea that we'd give up the fight against Islamic extremists in the Philippines just because we're mad about a discrete mistake is unserious.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 18, 2004 11:11 AM