THE new American administration of President Bill Clinton has got off to a predictably rocky start.
While there is cause for concern over the way in which Asia policy will be shaped, it is far too soon to make any solid judgements as to the direction which Mr Clinton and his advisers will chart for the region. But there is a dangerous drift on trade issues which could spell trouble not just for Asia but the rest of the world.
For some, the new Clinton era began with incompetence being illustrated all too early, as two women nominees for Attorney-General were forced to pull out following admissions they had hired illegal immigrants as domestic helpers.
The ensuing furore inexorably created a climate which will make it harder for Mr Clinton to get a steady grip on policy towards Asia or towards anything else.
The media and public opinion demand that all nominees be as clean as a hound's tooth. These standards naturally slow down the search for appropriate appointees. But the press is the first to criticise when, as a consequence, the new administration is slow in getting into place.
Much time is spent counting and detailing the campaign promises which a newly-elected president naturally breaks, postpones or forgets. Presidential judgement on which promises to keep - as with Mr Clinton and gay rights in the armed forces - is often politically questionable when it raises even more controversy.
