Who do you think came out on top after this situation?

I'm upset to see that we pretty much DID apologise for the commie pilot, which was his fault and for entering Chinese airspace, which under international law, was ok in an emergency.

But the important thing is our servicemen are coming home! [:D]

I don't think that either party came out on top.  I do think that China is in the wrong.  I dont' think that a four propellor plane was intentionally trying to collide with their jet, or at least that is how I understood the situation.  I think that China is being stubborn, and I think that both sides need to be more careful in the future, as I am sure that they will be.  
The only important thing is that our guys are coming home...from a place that they never should have been kept in the first place I might add.

I think it could have been a lot worse, and in that respect, we both did OK.

Remember when we bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia?  They were pretty forgiving about it altogether.  It was clearly embarassing to them.  I suspect that they were still harboring a little grudge over that.

From the one story I,ve read (our) "apology" was worded that the US was "sorry that the pilot died" and "sorry that (our) plane landed without authorization".

I suppose that's a victory of sorts.

It should have been, "Sorry your idiot pilot flew into our plane and was killed for it," and "Sorry you people don't follow international conventions for air and watercraft in distress."

Crew might be coming back, now when do we get our plane?

BOYCOTT CHINA! [-!-]

APOLOGY TO THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA
It is with deep regret, hesitation and contrition that I, The President of  the United States of America, offer apology to the Chinese nation and its  peoples.
I apologize for the heinous act performed by our large, sluggish, propeller  driven, airplane when it got in the way of your highly maneuverable, supersonic, technologically superior, jet aircraft.
Furthermore, I sincerely regret the fact that by flying in international  airspace, we afforded your “highly competent” pilot the opportunity to fly  his aircraft into our own, causing him to spiral to his death into the ocean.  
We regret the choice made by said pilot when he used deficient judgment in  electing to attempt aerial intimidation upon our slower moving, unarmed, surveillance vehicle.  
This situation brings to mind a similar episode when I was in grade school  and my face got in the way of the school yard bully’s fist. He broke a bone  in his hand and I felt as compelled to apologize for that incident as I do  for this one.  
Let me summarize by stating that it is our sincere hope that you accept this  “heart felt” and “sincere” apology for the actions committed by your pilot.  We are sorry that we got in the way. We are sorry that we were forced to  leave international airspace and land in Chinese territory. We are sorry  that you were forced to provide food and housing for our military personnel.  Most of all, we are sorry that you have, in your possession, some of our most  technologically advanced surveillance equipment on the planet.
I hope that  you can find it in your heart to forgive us. I hope that soon you will be  compelled to release our men and our property. Because I really don’t want to have to apologize again when we have to kick your ass.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
President of the United States

Lose, lose situation.  This willl be just a slight "burp" in our relations (lack of???) with China.  Let's just focus on getting our people back.  They did their jobs.

Well, we showed the Chinese that we'll knuckle under at the prospect of any of our servicemen being hurt.  They now know they can walk all over us.  Peace in our time.

I don't think either party won.  The Chinese surely didn't help relations with the US, particularly since Bush was ALREADY talking pretty tough with them.  They certainly didn't get any technology they didn't already have and we managed to get our troops back without having to grovel.  Yeah, they sent a letter saying they regretted the situation, but I think that was far short of an apology and was a small price to pay to get those men and women back ASAP.
I would love to see how one of the many detractors would have handled the situation...it would be hilarious to watch their eyes bug out as they realized just how much pressure there was and how difficult it was to make such decisions.

I think we lost but we don't know what.  If it saves one life we will throw in the towel mentality strikes again.  The letter written by the US is nothing much to cry over but I feel that it is a smoke screen for the real concessions.

It's not over yet.  If there is more support now in Congress for denying China favorable trade status and for selling Taiwan more sophisticated equipment, I say we came out OK.