In a dazzling display of international public hypocrisy,
the Man schools China on democratic principles:
U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday urged China to move further to allow political and religious freedoms, and he held up Taiwan as a model for Asia of a free and democratic society.
In remarks sure to annoy Beijing ahead of his visit there on Saturday, Bush said communist-run China had taken steps toward more openness but had "not yet completed the journey."
For one, annoying Beijing is exactly what we need, right? For another, I think they probably glean enough from our newspapers to figure out that this statement is pretty much full of shit:
"What I say to the Chinese, as well as others, is that a free society is in your interests," Bush said.
"To allow people to worship freely, for example, in your society is part of a stable mature society and that leadership should not fear freedoms within their society," Bush said at a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
I'm not sure how much of China's domestic policy actually made it into the USA PATRIOT Act, but I'm pretty sure that we cribbed liberally.