Is there NO END to the incompetence and obtuse nature of this administration?! Wait - don't answer that, I already know.
Reading the NYT http://www.nytimes.com/...
today of Confoundoleeza Rice's visit to Australia and Asia, she actually criticized China for its 'military expansion' and, as the story notes, in their own front yard. Also, she scolded them regarding 'transparency' of their intentions.
Please let the esteemed secretary know - let's see, she is a Russia expert right? And isn't our relationship to the Kremlin just ducky these days - that many in the world are not comfortable with OUR military expansion, that China does not have 'transparency' as a cultural trait (tho' this doesn't mean deceit)and that Not only do we need China NOW MORE THAN EVER vis a vis our debt and as a ally in the world, it has no need to change to suit her and will be around long, long after she gets mushy and forgotten!
Ms. Rice, I had such high hopes for you when you were appointed. Perhaps my expectations were too great a burden?
Confucian wisdom below the fold...
Since you have many well-paid staff at your side, I won't recommend a book list for you, but perhaps John Naisbitt's, Megatrends Asia - it's old but good, the World Economic Forum 's Global Competitiveness Report (1998 to present), study hard 'Guanxi' and keep in mind, and take to heart, these jewels of wisdom...
from Confucius: "The pursuit of ultimate truth requires first introspection and then love for others. It is only when these two are combined that perfection can be achieved."
From the article by Steven Weisman
'Ms. Rice's criticism of China was unusually tough...'
Referring to a 14 percent increase in military spending, Ms. Rice said: "That's a lot, and China should undertake to be transparent about what that means."
And I find it 'rich' that after this speech, she was...
"aboard the U.S.S. Port Royal, a missile cruiser headed for the Persian Gulf..."