The Obama-Hu News Conference: Missed Opportunity for China

While most of us are focused on domestic issues like banking and health care, a truly spectacular, world history-making event just concluded in the East Room of the White House. Specifically, Chinese President Hu, in response to a reporter's question, flatly stated that China has a long way to go to fully establish democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.

But, typical of Chinese cultural public politeness, he did not take the opportunity in his answer to embarrass both the questioner and President Obama.

What he might have said would have pointed out long-term American hypocrisy on the subject of human rights. For example, when I moved from New York City to Washington DC in 1962, it was actually against the law for a Negro (the proper term at that time) to so much as sip from a "white only" water fountain. Using a white only bathroom would get an instant arrest. Brilliant women with college or even advanced degrees were secretaries only - virtually no professional women worked alongside men. Indeed, as recently as the mid 1980s, I knew women with undergraduate and law degrees who refused to acknowledge that they knew how to type, for fear that law firms would place them as paralegals at best.

The United States - my/our beloved country - continues to move forward on human rights, and such milestones as Obama's election should and do give us much pride. But our residual Neanderthal tribal hatred - for example the recent disgusting human rights abuses of Muslims re the Islamic Center several blocks from the former World Trade Center - shows that we, too have a long, long way to go on human rights before we look down our noses at China or anyone else.

Still, Hu's public admission that democracy, the rule of law, and improvement in human rights are indeed on the Chinese domestic agenda makes this a great day.