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Politics : Did Slick Boink Monica? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Catfish who wrote (16623)	6/29/1998 9:19:00 AM
From: Zoltan!	Respond to of 20981

You might think, from the glowing accounts and sound bites of the "debate" or "harsh exchange" between the Presidents of the U.S. and China, that Clinton came across as the eloquent champion of human rights. Those who watched the 70-minute joint press conference on ABC, however, saw an egg-walking American President saying as little as he could get away with about "the tragic loss of life" more accurately called a massacre in Tiananmen Square. President Jiang was clearly dominant. This was his show. June 29, 1998 ESSAY Jiang's Stunning Triumph By WILLIAM SAFIRE WASHINGTON -- You might think, from the glowing accounts and sound bites of the "debate" or "harsh exchange" between the Presidents of the U.S. and China, that Clinton came across as the eloquent champion of human rights. Those who watched the 70-minute joint press conference on ABC, however, saw an egg-walking American President saying as little as he could get away with about "the tragic loss of life" more accurately called a massacre in Tiananmen Square. President Jiang was clearly dominant. This was his show. He was so confident beforehand that his American guest would allude to repression in the most gingerly way that he directed it to be shown live on state television. Unasked, the ebullient Jiang brought up "the so-called political contributions in the United States." He insisted "we have conducted a very earnest investigation into the matter and the result shows that there never was such a thing." That was the moment for President Clinton to say that he welcomed the news of that investigation, and he hoped President Jiang would use this forum to direct Chinese investigators to share their access to Hong Kong banks and 50 elusive witness with the U.S. Department of Justice. But not a peep from Clinton, for good reason: cooperation in discovering the "Chinese connection" -- with its political money flows and ensuing policy changes and security lapses -- is the last thing either President wants. Jiang's blanket denial was a favor to his visitor, who was surely grateful. Why am I being so grumpy today? I supported this trip and don't begrudge our potentate his 1,200 followers, or supporters, and their 900 tons of baggage. Diplomacy requires our President, when visiting a major power, to be polite, not unduly confrontational. He properly praised the Chinese for not devaluing, thereby making it more embarrassing to do. And "the right side of history" is his catchiest phrase. But two symbols dismay. One is the insult to the world's intelligence of treating "retargeting" of missiles away from cities as a serious agreement. It's strictly a p.r. stunt. A Chinese missile can be targeted back on Los Angeles in exactly 10 minutes, made much more accurate by our patriots at Loral and Hughes. If Clinton were worried about accidental launches, as he claims, he would stop blocking U.S. missile defense. The other is Clinton's craven abandonment of our tradition of the President alone deciding who will accompany him. Throughout the cold war, the White House maintained control of its traveling party; anti-Communist journalists and scholars who could never get a visa otherwise would fly in under the President's wing. Feng Xiao Ming is a reporter for Radio Free Asia, an independent corporation financed by the U.S. Government whose unwelcome truth China tries to jam. Nine years ago, he was covering the Tiananmen demonstrations as an employee of Chinese State Television. Feng's tape showed state journalists joining the demonstrators in hoisting signs hailing democracy. "The censor didn't show up in all the excitement, so we broadcast it." Because the errant censor got the blame, Feng was permitted to come to the U.S. to study and is now an American citizen. He is one of the three Radio Free Asia journalists whose names China struck from the list covering the Clinton visit to China. Clinton immediately wimped out, and explained to Feng in a get-over-it interview that "every nation reserves to itself the complete and unilateral right to decide its visa policies." But legalistic Clinton got the principle all wrong. Summit custom trumps that right. We routinely allowed K.G.B. "newsmen" in at summits here, and American reporters turned down for Moscow and Beijing summits knew it was a grimly smiling Nixon, not the Soviets or Chinese, who denied them a seat. Given Clinton's pusillanimity, how should Congress respond? The R.F.A. budget is now $22 million; given $2 million more, we could broadcast an additional six hours a week in Tibetan and expand the service in Uyghur to the Turkic Chinese in far-off Xinjiang. John Porter of Illinois, who sponsored R.F.A. in the House, says, "I think the leadership would support such an initiative." A suggested name for the supplemental appropriation: "To commemorate President Clinton's historic visit to China." nytimes.com