Talks with Iran? No problem. Meeting with a benevolent, nonviolent Buddhist monk who's visited American presidents on every trip he's made to Washington since 1991? No, we have to be careful about the implications and who might take offense.
"Barack Obama cancels meeting with Dalai Lama 'to keep China happy' by Alex Spillius, The Telegraph, October 6:
President Barack Obama has refused to meet the Dalai Lama in Washington this week in a move to curry favor with the Chinese.The decision came after China stepped up a campaign urging nations to shun the Tibetan spiritual leader.
It means Mr Obama will become the first president not to welcome the Nobel peace prize winner to the White House since the Dalai Lama began visiting Washington in 1991.
The Buddhist monk arrived in Washington on Monday for a week of meetings with Congressional leaders, celebrity supporters and interest groups, but the president will not see him until after he has made his first visit to China next month.
Samdhong Rinpoche, the Tibetan prime minister-in-exile, has accused the United States and other Western nations of "appeasement" toward China as its economic weight grows...
Not that the Chinese are the only ones he's appeasing.
Mr. Obama's decision dismayed human rights and Tibetan support groups, who said he had made an unnecessary concession to the Chinese, who regard the Dalai Lama as a "splittist", despite his calls for autonomy rather than independence for Tibet. The Chinese invaded in 1950, forcing the young leader to flee.Sophie Richardson, Asia advocate for Human Rights Watch, said: "Presidents always meets (sic) the Dalai Lama and what happens? Absolutely nothing.
"This idea that if you are nice to the Chinese Communist Party up front you can cash in later is just wrong. If you lower the bar on human rights they will just move it lower and lower."
Could this principle be applied to other contexts beyond China?
Over several months of discussions the Tibetans resisted entreaties to delay the meeting, arguing that a refusal would make smaller countries more vulnerable to pressure from China not to meet the Dalai Lama.
Good point. Conversely, if the U.S. won't stand up to Islamic militants and for human rights in majority Muslim contexts, what does that imply for governments with less clout?
But they were told by US officials they wanted to work with China on critical issues, including nuclear weapons proliferation in North Korea and Iran, according to The Washington Post. Mr Obama then sent a delegation to the Dalai Lama's home in exile in India last month that confirmed the meeting would be deferred. Mr Obama has changed his position on Tibet since his election campaign...
Is the president then open to changing his positions on other points of foreign policy, like those regarding Israel, Pakistan, or Iran?
Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, the Washington-based special envoy to the Dalai Lama, issued a brief statement, saying: "We came to this arrangement because we believe that it is in our long-term interests."
From one nobel peace prize winner to another: "Fu@k You! Memo to follow."
And to think the once formerly prestigious Nobel Peace Prize is to be awarded to Barack Hussein Obama, this of course is the same prize that went to Yassar Arafat and Dhimmy Carter.
It has all be come political of course and no doubt Alfred Nobel has been turning in his grave several times over the past 3 decades.
AOL has a poll running on this choice and with over 250,000 cast so far The question is : do you think Obama deserves the Nobel Peace prize? Respondents are running 72Pct. no and 28 Pct Yes.
And to think the once formerly prestigious Nobel Peace Prize is to be awarded to Barack Hussein Obama, this of course is the same prize that went to Yassar Arafat and Dhimmy Carter.
It has all be come political of course and no doubt Alfred Nobel has been turning in his grave several times over the past 3 decades.
AOL has a poll running on this choice and with over 250,000 cast so far The question is : do you think Obama deserves the Nobel Peace prize? Respondents are running 72Pct. no and 28 Pct Yes.
The Nobel Peace Prize should win the prize for the biggest joke of a prize ever devised by man. Today more proof of this occurred. Obama won this stupid thing because he is apologetic of American strength and resolve and because he has sucked up to the Muslim world. If all this isn't disgusting, what the hell is?
The snub of the Dalai Lama may be more to do with our debts to China than about Obama. I am looking for China to start dictating to us more and more on the international stage due to our being so beholden to them. They will tell us to raise interest rates to support the dollar and we will soon (already??) be in no position to resist. Debt is a great tool but a hell of a master, and unfortunately we are losing our independence and sovereignty to China over this issue.
Suggestions have arisen that Obama should turn down the Nobel Peace Prize. The NPP has become a joke, and his accepting it would merely confirm this. The Norwegians have used this opportunity to bestow their blessing on Obama in practically the only way they have to do so. If he were smart he would use the opportunity to castigate the Norwegians for politicizing the Peace Prize, but somehow I doubt his ego will allow him to do this.
A quick trip to Michael Medved's website (www.michaelmedved.com) will provide you with an absolutely hilarious video from last weekend's 'Saturday Night Live' broadcast that will further underscore the unique 'qualifications' that President Obama brings to the table as the most recent winner of the NPP.
And they give him the Nobel peace prize
What a joke.
Has it ever happend that one Nobel laureate refused to meet another???????
Obama IS A DING DONG
Obama IS A DING DONG (memo to DHIMMY CARTER)