But he wasn't okay, not really. The protocol-obsessed Chinese leader suffered a day full of indignities -- some intentional, others just careless. The visit began with a slight when the official announcer said the band would play the "national anthem of the Republic of China" -- the official name of Taiwan. It continued when Vice President Cheney donned sunglasses for the ceremony, and again when Hu, attempting to leave the stage via the wrong staircase, was yanked back by his jacket. Hu looked down at his sleeve to see the president of the United States tugging at it as if redirecting an errant child.
NYTimes
Mr. Hu apparently no longer feels, as past Chinese leaders did, that he must come to the United States bearing gifts. And the Chinese, ever sensitive to questions of status, made clear they felt slighted by Mr. Bush's decision not to offer up a full state dinner for the leader of 1.3 billion people; instead, Mr. Hu got lunch.
And in return, Mr. Bush got vague promises that China would continue doing what it is already doing - at its own pace.
BBC News
"China can stop buying dollar-denominated bonds, increase buying of US products and gradually reduce its holdings of US bonds," he said.
In European trading, the US dollar fell against the euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen.
Dammit, Georgie, your protocol rocket scientists called Mr. Hu's country by the name of its enemy, diminished the importance of his visit, and stiffed the guy on dinner, and as a result the dollar's now worth fifty cents!
I think it begs the issue to even mention letting the Falun Gong lady in with a day pass. I believe in free speech, but that was ridiculous coming from an administration that is so good at closed, scripted meetings and ignoring protesters. Highly discourteous. If they planned it, and I don't doubt it for a minute, much worse.
Business as usual from this administration. These idiots couldn't throw a beer party in a brewery.
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