多年以来美国制造商一直在抱怨强势美元削弱了出口竞争力。在明年大选之前，面对着如此高的失业率，布什政府所能做的就是放弃前任的强势美元政策，并敦促亚洲国家让自己的货币升值。如果中国和日本允许自己货币更加自由的浮动，许多人预测美元还会继续跌。

　　 即使是那些不认为亚洲国家会让货币升值的人，现在也相信强势美元政策的日子已经过去了。政府的态度事实上在转变。这个转变从布什的第一任财长奥尼尔就开始了，到继任者斯诺这里更为明显，制造商们的游说活动更促成了这个转变。

　　 Rarely have so many people in so many countries been pushing for the dollar to get weaker rather than stronger.

　　 But today, three days after the Group of 7 nudged China and Japan to adopt more "flexible exchange rates," it remained unclear whether those two players would join in the game to weaken the dollar.

　　 The dollar, after plunging to a three-year low against the Japanese yen on Monday, actually climbed a bit today. Treasury notes rose in value, a sign that the dollar may not, after all, be poised for the plunge that so many want.

　　 Anxiety about the continued strength of the dollar against most Asian currencies is running high both in the United States and in Europe.

　　 American manufacturers have complained for years that the strength of the dollar has devastated their competitive position by making foreign imports cheap and their own exports expensive.

　　 The Bush administration, eager for anything that could help reduce unemployment before next year's elections, has all but abandoned the strong-dollar policy of the Clinton administration and pressured Asian countries to let their currencies appreciate against the greenback.

　　 European leaders are almost equally anxious. Over the last two years, the euro has soared against the dollar as well as Asian currencies. After an initial blush of pleasure at the euro's new credibility, European leaders are suddenly worried about having the only strong currency in the world.

　　 Indeed, European finance officials were at least as forceful as Treasury Secretary John W. Snow in prodding Asian countries at the Group of 7 meeting over the weekend in Dubai.

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