Is There Really Any Question? I was surprised to hear how this story is developing.

Facing his toughest political test, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told an anguished Japan on Friday he had no plans to pull troops from Iraq despite threats by kidnappers there to kill three Japanese civilian hostages.

Tearful families of the three pleaded for the government to rescue their loved ones, and the mother of 18-year-old Noriaki Imai urged the government to withdraw its non-combat troops.

Some analysts said mishandling of the crisis could even bring down the government, a prospect that worried financial markets. Stock prices fell across the board and the yen weakened.

This is terribly sad, and I feel awful for the families of these hostages. If it were a member of my family, I'm certain I would be shouting at the government to do anything -- whatever it takes -- to get my loved one home safely. But the government would need to ignore me, just as it should ignore these pleas. What surprises me is that so much emphasis is on Japanese PM Koizumi's "crisis" and the "choice" he must make (not to mention the impact on the Nikkei -- is that the crucial story here?).

Anyway, if there were a bold type, capital letters terrorism lesson of the last 30 years, it's this: Never, never, never negotiate. Never.