Today Mrs. Clinton made public comments that will greatly handicap her ability to be a successful President if she is elected. Though they were widely reported in the MSM, their significance has been overlooked.
Today Hillary joined the world wide protest against the human rights abuses and repression by force of the native Tibetans by the Chinese government. She called on President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics along with Angela Merkle of Germany and others. Considering how much influence she has over him, I would attribute her comments to political posturing and a rhetorical flourish. I would not presume to have any insight into her motivation. It could be that she passionately supports the cause of Tibetan independence or at least autonomy; that she abhors the violent repression of the protesting crowds in Lhasa; that she is trying to make up for years of official benign neglect of the Tibetan situation; she could be trying to deflect media attention from the loss of her campaign strategist; or she could be trying to pander to the more left wing or liberal activists in the Democratic party. In any case, her suggestion comes at a very high price. It is clear to anyone who understands Chinese political culture, that she has clearly officially insulted the Chinese government causing it to loose face. Thus she will forever be distrusted and disliked by them and ineffectual in all future potential diplomacy with China. Dealings with China will obviously be an important part of the portfolio of our next President. Her taint is irremedial and will last forever. If you do not trust my analysis, I suggest you research all public statements about China by Henry Kissinger in the last 20 years. He has been extremely sensitive to the importance of avoiding the glib tongue in approaching the Chinese.