Forty years ago, French friends of America tried to warn Washington about the pitfalls of Vietnam.

Arab leaders have been warning Washington for months that some violent spillover, including terrorism, was a virtual certainty.

"We warned Washington when they cut us off," he said.

There'll still be plenty of time to warn Washington.

Kuwaiti security services warned Washington that Iraqi agents were planning to assassinate the former president.

He warned Washington that a high-profile figure was about to be assassinated and that he himself was second or third on the assassination list.

Unfortunately, it does not seem to have been enough to warn Washington about the enemy's plans for Pearl Harbor.

Local politicians and editorial writers are warning Washington against thinking their man is unprepared for the rough and tumble of Capitol Hill.

In one case, the postal authorities specifically warned Washington about the bogus nature of eight stamps purportedly issued by Albania.

The news comes after the Russian president warned Washington that failing to cooperate with Moscow on the shield could lead to a new arms race.