 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
An Innocent, A Broad How Many Chinamen Can be Wrong? How Many Bought Clinton? In the arena of domestic politics, a trip to China for a U.S. president is like a public relations Visa Gold Card with no limit and no penalties - it can buy you just about anything you want, and you can spend without worrying about the bill. It made Nixon look like a wonderful statesman just to step off the plane. What's the first argument you hear from anyone trying to convince you the guy wasn't a crook? "Well, he went to China. That was good." Spend a few days eating raw fish in Beijing and you're golden with the folks back home. That is, if they know you're there at all. A recent "backyard poll" of random Americans in the New York Times netted this quote from Jenny Lang in Springfield - "To be completely honest, I had no clue he'd been to China." Other people quoted in the story thought it was just swell that people in China were smiling on TV. What they didn't know was that the Chinese people were pointing and laughing, saying, "Yeah, he looks like he probably touched her boobs," or "I wish our leader could get some." Clinton shocked the pundits and Chinese leaders by being - get this - openly pro-democracy in his three live broadcasts to the Chinese people. I suppose they expected him to make funny comments about the Astroturf in the back of his El Camino like he did in a speech to auto workers a while back. No one has worn the American flag so blatantly since Linda Carter. And believe me, when Wonder Woman did her magic, Clinton was definitely paying attention. But what did he really say? He said he wouldn't back the Taiwanese in their quest for independence. He said the Dalai Lama was a nice guy. The big shocker - he said the Tiananmen Square massacre was wrong. That might cause a big stir in China, especially to conservative politicians there that make Jesse Helms look tolerant. And granted, Clinton's acknowledged strategy throughout the trip was to remain non-confrontational to build an alliance. But other than avoiding Kenneth Starr, who probably couldn't get his visa in order in time, what was really accomplished? Clinton was able to say "human rights - good. Skull-crushing tanks, bad." Thank you, Ghandi. Nothing was signed, nothing lasting created. There were tentative and symbolic agreements on weapons and free speech, but until that somehow ends up applied to how President Jiang Zemin's government acts towards its people, it is only so much ass kissing. The biggest hope is actually what might be a breakthrough in Zemin's former hard-line stance against Tibet and the Dalai Lama. Zemin seemed possibly agreeable to some sort of meeting or communication. If Clinton's trip ends up affecting that, he has indeed done some good. But guess what, folks? Taint happened yet. And there aren't even tentative plans for it. Clinton seemed on the campaign trail again, using the Chinese media the way he used the press here - to bolster his own image. Perhaps he was giving Zemin, who had confessed earlier to be closely tied with Clinton, some free lessons. In fact, Zemin had stoked Clinton before the trip like a bong in an Amtrack engine car. A story in the July 13th issue of Newsweek claims that Zemin believes his and Clinton's fate are "intertwined." They may yet be. That same Newsweek story spoke of the fragile hold Zemin has on the Chinese public. Clinton's own term is up soon, and he can't run again. Think about China for a moment - millions of people fed up with conservative rule and naïve when it comes to media influence. Close to Russia, making it easy to visit his old Moscow stomping grounds. And more take-out than any man could ever dream possible. When Zemin's term is up, maybe he'll have a little more competition than he thought for reelection. Compared to Nixon's trip, where he had to face down Chairman Mao and the boys, Clinton's trip was a slingshot over the Great Wall. But it still seems to be enough to praise, for most. There's a positive vibe about China right now, but old habits die hard - much harder than Chinese dissidents. So until something fruitful emerges, everything that was agreed to verbally on this trip is about as useful as a contract extension for The Magic Hour. It's nothing more than appeasing the big man. -Nick |
||
|
|
|||
