Bush Remains Silent Over Tibet Crackdown

New York Times:

China's violent crackdown on protesters in Tibet is having powerful political reverberations in Washington, where the White House is weighing how far to go in condemning the Chinese government, even as it defends President Bush's decision to attend the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Mr. Bush has long said the United States and China have "a complex relationship," and that complexity was on full display this week. While his administration has called for an end to the violence, and his secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, phoned her Chinese counterpart to urge restraint, Mr. Bush himself has remained silent.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[lydia]

Bush can't say diddle squat to China! It was Bush inalienable right to invaded Iraq a sovereign country and bomb the bejezuz out of the place. Israel's also had inanienable right to invade and occupy Palestine and turn the place into another Holocaust . It was also Israel inalienable right carpet bomb Lebanon with millions of cluster bombs, killing innocent Lebanese men, women and little kids.

Now China with trillion of dollars in American IOUs can tell Bush to go Cheney himself, It's now their inalienable right to invade and occupy Tibet.

The Tibetans, like the Palestinians and like Iraqis have no inalienable right to expect the UN, now a toothless tiger, to protect them. We are back to the laws of the jungle because Bush single handedly emasculated the UN with his unauthorized war against Iraq and with each and every veto against numerous UN resolutions demanding Israel cease and desist it's illegal occupation of Palestine. Not until Bush and his cabal are hauled before la Hague to answer for crimes against humanity will the UN have its credibility restored.

[DoAsISay]

The Tibetans don't hate us for our freedoms. There is absolutely no reason for Bush to say anything. The Chinese are more important, we need to pander to them. Or who will pay our mortgage?

[SonnyBono]

Bush is quiet because Cheney reminded him that the Chinese hold over a trillion dollars of our currency that they would dump if we annoy them - besides Bush probably expects the Chinese government to contribute money to the Bush "library" and we all know you don't bite the hand that feeds you.

[MetalCanuck]

Hit the nail on the head with that one, China can go after Taiwan right now and America could do nothing. We could have had Ron Paul but now we have this and the next ones are going to do nothing better. They are all cut from the CFR/AIPAC cloth.

[frappe]

Yeah, Bush is silent because the Chinese are sitting atop a mountain of U.S. dollars. That's what free trade and globalization has brought us -- servitude, subjugation and forced deference to those with the cash. Pathetic.

[serialcoma]

Bush is a coward and will not stand up for the common man / typical citizen of any nation. He doesn't believe in civil or human rights and can only be counted upon to act in his self interest and the interest of his handlers.

republicans are a threat to world peace and prosperity.

[Trickywoo]

He's being really quiet because he just can't figure out how to pronounce the words "Dalai Lama."

[GnitenGoodLk]

Good. Keep his mouth shut. Every time he opens it disaster follows. Shut him up the rest of the year. Worst President Ever.

[Stirner]

AIPAC is silent, Bush is silent. It all depends upon your "friends" as to who will be your "enemy". Next round: Iran.

[lenoirlady]

What is left to say. The man isn't aware of the conflict and murder of the most peaceful people on earth. "Is gas $4.00 a gallon? - I didn't know that.".

[darker]

Bush is a cheerleader for his NANNY STATE FOR THE RICH & corporate welfare queens that middle-income Americans are paying for.

Tibet? What's THAT? Bush flunked GEOGRAPHY , remember?
Bush thinks "a Tibet" is a Spanish appetizer.

[GhostintheMachine]

updated 8:27 p.m. ET Oct. 17, 2007
WASHINGTON - President Bush, raising Beijing’s ire, presented the Dalai Lama on Wednesday with the U.S. Congress’ highest civilian honor and urged Chinese leaders to welcome the monk to Beijing.

The exiled spiritual head of Tibet’s Buddhists by his side, Bush praised a man he called a “universal symbol of peace and tolerance, a shepherd of the faithful and a keeper of the flame for his people.”

“Americans cannot look to the plight of the religiously oppressed and close our eyes or turn away,” Bush said at the U.S. Capitol building, where he personally handed the Dalai Lama the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal.

Bush on Tibet/China
May 12, 2003

In the first-ever presidential report to Congress on the status of Tibet negotiations, President Bush has affirmed that encouraging substantive dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese leadership is a key objective of his administration's policy and that lack of resolution of the Tibetan problem will be a stumbling block to fuller political and economic engagement between the United States and China.


President Bush declared his "strong support for the Dalai Lama's tireless efforts to initiate dialogue with the Chinese government" after meeting with the Dalai Lama in May 2001, and, according to the White House report, Tibet was on the agenda of every 2002 meeting between Presidents Bush and Jiang and during then-Vice President Hu Jintao's May 2002 U.S. visit. Additionally, in Secretary Powell's meetings with Foreign Minister Tang and President Hu, Powell consistently urged the Chinese officials to engage in a substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama.

From September 9 to 24, 2002, envoys of the Dalai Lama led by Lodi Gyari visited Beijing, Shanghai and Lhasa and met with Chinese leaders, renewing face-to-face contact between the two sides after an impasse of nine years.

On September 30, 2002, the Tibetan Policy Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush as part of The Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 2002-2003. It is the most comprehensive Tibet legislation yet to be passed by Congress, combining programmatic initiatives with a firm expression of political support for the Dalai Lama's efforts to find a negotiated solution for Tibet.

[140dot6]

Duct tape over month provided by Wal*Mart.

[skyreader7]

Bush admires the Chinese who can throw people in jail and punish them without answering to anyone. They, like Bush, have no conscience. Except in their ruthlessness they don't always show the glee and joy that W does.

[GerryS]

Wake up people, he's taking notes on how to squash insurrection-

[dr4Will]

he won't say anything and mess up his free trip and photo op at the Olympics---not this bottom feeder!!

[MajorKong]

If we criticize them they might not loan us any more money.