Add Tibetans to the growing list that includes the British, ordinary Iranians, Iraqis, Hondurans, Israelis, Eastern Europeans, Koreans, and Afghans.

For the first time since 1991, the Tibetan spiritual leader will visit Washington this week and not meet with the president. Since 1991, he has been here 10 times. Most times the meetings have been "drop-in" visits at the White House. The last time he was here, in 2007, however, George W. Bush became the first sitting president to meet with him publicly, at a ceremony at the Capitol in which he awarded the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress's highest civilian award.

The U.S. decision to postpone the meeting appears to be part of a strategy to improve ties with China that also includes soft-pedaling criticism of China's human rights and financial policies as well as backing efforts to elevate China's position in international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund.

Maybe it's just me, but I am starting to get a vibe about this Obama cat and how he views the world.

Posted by: eddiebear at 03:17 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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