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By Kerry Picket on Nov. 20, 2009 into Water CoolerEditSubscribe The American Spectator held its annual Robert L. Bartley dinner last night at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, DC. The dinner included speeches from the Spectator’s President Alfred S. Regnery, it’s Editor-in-Chief R. Emmet Tyrell, and Republican Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana. Pence rallied the crowd with a thoughtful address about the need to preserve the ideals of the American Revolution.

U.S. President Barack Obama says he took five minutes out of his busy overseas diplomatic schedule to meet a half-brother who lives in China. Mr. Obama told a U.S. television network that he met Mark Ndesandjo and his wife briefly Monday in Beijing, where the U.S. president held meetings with Chinese leaders this week. The president has the same Kenyan father as Ndesandjo, who recently published a book, Nairobi to Shenzhen, describing Barack Obama Sr. as abusive. President Obama said he does not know his half-brother very well. He said it was not a secret that his father was a...

One of the few concrete signs of cooperation to emerge from this week's U.S.-China summit could boost Beijing's drive to become a global aircraft maker. President Barack Obama pledged Tuesday to push for closer technical collaboration and eventual U.S. safety approval for China's ARJ21 commuter jet. That amounts to both a symbolic and practical step to counter Beijing's growing frustration with U.S. aviation policy and U.S. restrictions on the purchase of certain technologies. The high-profile U.S. initiative is especially significant because China's own safety regulators are still a year or more away from approving the 70-to-100-passenger aircraft being developed by...

November 18, 2009, 4:00 a.m. Obama’s Prissy AmericaWhy does Obama’s tolerant, apologetic America seem so very self-centered? By Victor Davis Hanson The liberal writ was that a strutting “bring ’em on� George W. Bush for eight years did what he pleased on the international scene. His “unilateral� America supposedly did not consult with either allies or international organizations, as he rammed through democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush’s “my way or the highway� personal credo resulted in an America alone. Obama, of course, was hailed as the multifaceted antidote to all that. The new nontraditional America would reach...

EIJING — When President Barack Obama landed in Beijing on Monday on his first state visit to China, his first order of business was family business. Before he headed to a formal dinner with China's President Hu Jintao, he set aside time to see his half brother, Mark Ndesandjo, and Ndesandjo's wife, who had flown up from the southern boomtown of Shenzhen where they live. Describing the meeting Monday as "overwhelming" and "intense," Ndesandjo told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that he had long anticipated the chance to welcome his famous brother to China. "My big brother, you...

BEIJING — Something got lost in transit in US President Barack Obama's visit to China -- the charismatic rhetoric and dominance of mass communication that took him from nowhere to the White House. Obama built his political persona with soaring speeches on a grand stage and by reaching out to a vast grassroots network on the Internet. But in China, Obama's hosts successfully stifled those prodigious public talents, keeping his message from the people with media censorship and smothering it in staid diplo-speak.

Behind the communist curtain, this video and photograph show Obama bowing at a town hall meeting in Shanghai, China. The man he bowed before wasn't royalty. He was just a University official. Video and photo included.

Note: The following text is a quote: Home • Briefing Room • Statements & Releases The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release November 17, 2009 U.S.-China Joint Statement Beijing, China At the invitation of President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China, President Barack Obama of the United States of America is paying a state visit to China from November 15–18, 2009. The Presidents held in-depth, productive and candid discussions on U.S.-China relations and other issues of mutual interest. They highlighted the substantial progress in U.S.-China relations over the past 30 years since the establishment...

It probably works like this. Every morning when Obama rises he takes a deep and refreshing hot coffee high-colonic. During this meditative phase of his day he thinks, "Let's see... how can I show my contempt for America in a manner not previously thought possible? Last week I was giving the American flag my trademarked "crotch salute."** A day or so ago I was bending over for the Emperor of Japan. Humm, what's left? I know, I'll put on the biggest mass murderer of the 20th century's signature jacket for my photo-op. And some lip gloss! And pantyhose! F**k yeah!...

President Obama at a Shanghai town hall with students, as provided by the White House PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good afternoon. It is a great honor for me to be here in Shanghai, and to have this opportunity to speak with all of you. I'd like to thank Fudan University's President Yang for his hospitality and his gracious welcome. I'd also like to thank our outstanding Ambassador, Jon Huntsman, who exemplifies the deep ties and respect between our nations. I don't know what he said, but I hope it was good. (Laughter.) What I'd like to do is to make some opening...

U.S. President Barack Obama has held an unprecedented question and answer session with Chinese students in Shanghai - China's commercial capital. Mr. Obama pushed the importance of freedom of information, while at the same time calling for greater cooperation between Washington and Beijing. This was the first town hall meeting by a U.S. President in China. And it amounted to a delicate balancing act for Mr. Obama. He opened the session with university students by striking a professorial tone, talking about the history of relations between Washington and Beijing, and the importance of working together to tackle global challenges. Mr....

Barack Obama praised freedom of expression and political participation and criticised internet censorship as he spoke to students in Shanghai today, in the only public meeting scheduled for his three-day visit to China. The US president told the gathering of around 300 young people that his country saw such liberties as universal rights. But he stopped short of direct reference to human rights abuses in China, as some activists had urged. Other issues raised in the question-and-answer session ranged from arms sales to Taiwan to his Nobel Peace Prize. China-watchers in the US have long encouraged their government to reach...

NOVEMBER 16, 2009 China's Blunt Talk for Obama Regulator Says U.S. Policy Puts Global Recovery at Risk as President Arrives in Beijing BY AARON BACK BEIJING -- China's top banking regulator issued a sharp critique of U.S. financial management only hours before President Barack Obama commenced his first visit to the Asian giant, highlighting economic and trade tensions that threaten to overshadow the trip. Liu Mingkang, chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, said that a weak U.S. dollar and low U.S. interest rates had led to "massive speculation" that was inflating asset bubbles around the world. It has created...

Barack Obama Assures Asia that US Borrowing Will Not Spiral Out of Control President Barack Obama has promised Asia's creditor nations that Washington will not let US borrowing spiral out of control, vowing a major drive to cut the budget deficit and restore global confidence in the US dollar. By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard 15 Nov 2009 "As the economy recovers, I intend to take serious steps to reduce America's long-term deficit," he told the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum in Singapore. "Debt-driven growth cannot fuel America's long-term prosperity." The assurance comes amid growing doubts across the world over the wisdom of...

Americans shouldn’t worry. Although, the economy is diminishing, jobs are dwindling, soldiers are dying, and a new health care plan might just restructure the nation and cost the taxpayers billions of dollars, our Commander-in-Chief is looking out for us. In fact, he’s in China right now—improving our relations and receiving a hero’s welcome. But, does he deserve it? After a rocky rating month, President Obama’s presidential approval rating has stabilized, states Rasmussen Reports. 28% of American voters strongly approve of his performance, and 38% strongly disapprove. However, 48%, the highest number this year, give Obama poor rankings in the way...

President Barack Obama has promised Asia's creditor nations that Washington will not let US borrowing spiral out of control, vowing a major drive to cut the budget deficit and restore global confidence in the US dollar. "As the economy recovers, I intend to take serious steps to reduce America's long-term deficit," he told the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum in Singapore. "Debt-driven growth cannot fuel America's long-term prosperity." The assurance comes amid growing doubts across the world over the wisdom of White House spending plans. The US Congressional Budget Office expects the deficit to remain around $1.8 trillion (£600bn) as...

BEIJING - As President Barack Obama prepares for his first visit to China, leaders of the unapproved churches there are condemning his administration for indifference to the increasing persecution they are facing. The latest example of that persecution came Sunday as followers of an unapproved church in Beijing were again forced by the government to find a new place to worship. Worship in China, governed by the officially atheist Communist Party, is allowed only in state-approved churches, but millions of people belong to unregistered churches that often face official harassment.

BEIJING - As President Barack Obama prepares for his first visit to China, leaders of the unapproved churches there are condemning his administration for indifference to the increasing persecution they are facing. The latest example of that persecution came Sunday as followers of an unapproved church in Beijing were again forced by the government to find a new place to worship. Worship in China, governed by the officially atheist Communist Party, is allowed only in state-approved churches, but millions of people belong to unregistered churches that often face official harassment.

The China-based brother of U.S. President Barack Obama is about to pubU.S. President Barack Obama's half-brother, Mark Ndesandjo, says he plans to publish an autobiography in a few months' time giving more details about their relationship. "In a few months I hope to produce an autobiography which I think will answer some of the questions," Ndesandjo said in an interview on the eve of Obama's first state visit to China. lish his own memoir.

BEIJING (AP) - The Chinese have learned English from his speeches and celebrated the way he rolls up his sleeves. Now President Barack Obama is finally coming, and he's being greeted with "Oba Mao" T-shirts and a statue of him that bursts into flames. Sunday's arrival of a U.S. president admired for his charisma is already a source of profit and brief fame for some Chinese. Strangest is the burning Obama, tucked away in a Beijing warehouse. Artist Liu Bolin hopes Obama can take time from his visit to drop by. "He's so hot right now, so I wanted to...

U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive in Beijing, China on Sunday, November 15 and in preparation for the event, Chinese artist Liu Bolin constructed and then set alight his eerily evocative "Burning Man Obama" sculpture which he claims represents Obama's worldwide influence. Showing his admiration, Liu Bolin said, "Obama is a very interesting and perspective leader. He is so hot now that I decided to impress this in "Burning Man Obama" work. Yes, setting something on fire can have negative connotations, but this piece represents energy and life that Obama has given to the world. We're eager to...

"It gets people thinking." Editor's note: President Obama is set to visit China next month.

Obama to Warn Asia Against Relying on U.S. Consumers By JONATHAN WEISMAN and YUKA HAYASHI [President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday.] AFP/Getty Images President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama hold a press conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Friday. TOKYO -- President Barack Obama has come halfway around the world to personally deliver the message to East Asia that the global economy can no longer count on the U.S. consumer to keep it afloat. In what White House aides call a "major...

When he gets to China next week, he will be greeted by images of 'Obamao' and 'Comrade Maobama'. 'Oba Mao' T-shirts are selling well in China, where Barack Obama is highly popular, especially among young people Obama, who will visit China from Sunday until Wednesday, is especially well-liked among the youth in the world's most populous nation, who see the US leader as a symbol of the American dream. In Beijing, where Obama will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, the latest fad in the tourist areas is the unlikely "Obamao" T-shirt - Obama dressed in a olive green Mao...

William Pesek opines: Barack Obama sure has lots to discuss on his maiden voyage to Asia as U.S. president. Yet all this is just conversation compared with the real issue on Asia’s mind: a wobbly dollar that’s putting the region’s money at risk. Think of this trip as a visit to America’s banker, and an unpleasant one. Asia wants assurances that the U.S. can repay its fast-mounting debt and prevent a dollar crash. The reality dawning on Asia is that Obama can’t offer them such a pledge -- not with U.S. borrowing so out of control. Unfortunately this sort of...

Washington, November 11: Falling short of calling it a "mistake", top Republican Senator John McCain today said he would have met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama if he were the president of the United States. McCain, who lost to President Barack Obama in the last year's presidential elections, said this in an interview to CNN, wherein he was critical of the Obama Administration adopting a softer approach on human rights in China and not meeting the Dalai Lama, when he was here last month. "I can't say it was a mistake. I have to give the President the benefit...

Just flashed over Drudge Obama Grants FOXNEWS Interview -- Day After Anita Dunn Steps Down... MORE... DRUDGE has learned, Major Garrett will conduct interview in China next week...

Is Anita Dunn really a fan of Mao Tse Tung, who was one of the most prolific mass murderers of the twentieth century? Glenn Beck, quick the find anything bizarre in the Obama administration, thinks so. Joseph Lawler thinks she must be joking. Anita Dunn did say that her two favorite political philosophers are Mother Theresa and Mao, seemingly as a joke about how very different they are, sort of like pairing Gandhi and Hitler. Then Lawler continues, taking note of the Glenn Beck video: "But then Dunn goes into a somewhat long history of Mao and Chiang Kai Shek...

A top Chinese general will visit the United States this month and tour major U.S. bases as Washington seeks to improve relations and reduce the risk of conlict, offi

National Security: On the eve of a visit by China's No. 2 ranking military officer, the Obama administration loosens export controls on technology that will benefit Chinese missile development. It's deja vu all over again. The Pentagon has announced that Chinese Gen. Xu Caihou will visit the United States and meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Oct. 26. Xu is vice chairman of the People's Liberation Army Central Military Commission. While here, Xu will visit American military installations around the U.S., including the U.S. Pacific Command. Perhaps Xu will bring with him a note of thanks for the administration's...

President Obama recently shifted authority for approving sales to China of missile and space technology from the White House to the Commerce Department -- a move critics say will loosen export controls and potentially benefit Chinese missile development. "It's as though Commerce's mishandling of missile-tech transfers to China in the 1990s never happened," said Mr. Sokolski, a former Pentagon proliferation specialist. "But it did. As a result, we are now facing much more accurate, reliable missiles from China." Mr. Sokolski said he expects the U.S. government under the new policy to again boost Chinese military modernization through "whatever renewed 'benign'...

President Obama recently shifted authority for approving sales to China of missile and space technology from the White House to the Commerce Department -- a move critics say will loosen export controls and potentially benefit Chinese missile development. The president issued a little-noticed "presidential determination" Sept. 29 that delegated authority for determining whether missile and space exports should be approved for China to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Commerce officials say the shift will not cause controls to be loosened in regards to the export of missile and space technology. Eugene Cottilli, a spokesman for Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security,...

The Dalai Lama, the exiled leader of Tibet, was in Washington last week and President Obama did not meet him. "Big mistake," said my Eritrean taxi driver on the way over to hear the Dalai Lama speak at an awards ceremony at Sidney Harman Hall on Wednesday. What seemed so obvious to my driver was the product of an elaborate rationalization by the Obama administration. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg outlined the new policy of "strategic reassurance" in a speech on September 24. The United States, he said, has struck a "core, if tacit, bargain" with China under which...

The new World Trade Center, now under construction, is often considered a symbol of American enterprise. But to some union members and U.S. businesses, it represents what's wrong with the nation's economy. The contract to manufacture the blast-resistant glass wrapping the main tower's first 20 stories was awarded earlier this year to a Chinese firm that underbid U.S. competitors. Now the trade tensions between the United States and China that have arisen recently over tires, steel and paper are spreading to glass. "This new tower is going to be made out of subsidized Chinese glass, putting factory workers out of...

Another first by lord Obama, defender of the tyrants. He has no time or intention to honor a man of God and a champion of freedom. Obama also has no time for a national day of prayer. Obama is too busy courting tyrants and pushing his socialist Obamacare on everyone. Apparantly freedom loving people are a threat to cult Obama and his one world godless government.

The last time the Dalai Lama visited Washington, President George W. Bush presented the exiled Tibetan leader with the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Now the Dalai Lama cannot even get a private meeting with President Obama. The only winner in this rebuff is communist China.

President Barack Obama has broken with presidential precedent and has refused to meet with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is the chief of the Buddhist faith and is also the acting head of state for Tibet, which China invaded in 1950. The Dalai Lama is well-seen in many parts of American life and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. Obama is the first President not to meet with the religious leader since 1991.

President Obama would have the time to meet with the worse dictators, but he does not have the time to meet with a very spiritual man and a true person of peace? Is it because he doesn’t look like him, or has a funny name, or maybe because he doesn’t quite fit into the young President’s circle of brutal dictators and tyrants? My guess is … it’s the latter.

President Barack Obama will not meet the Dalai Lama during his five-day trip to the U.S. capital beginning on Monday, the first time in 18 years the exiled Tibetan leader has visited Washington without seeing the president. Obama instead intends to wait until after his November summit with Chinese leader Hu Jintao before meeting the Dalai Lama, possibly sometime in December, officials said. The decision to break precedent and delay any meeting was conveyed to the Dalai Lama last month when Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and State Department Undersecretary Maria Otero traveled to Dharamsala, India, to explain the administration's...

In an attempt to gain favour with China, for the first time since 1991 the US President will not meet Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama when he visits Washington this week. President Barack Obama who is scheduled to undertake his first visit to China next month has apparently decided not to meet the Dalai Lama son as not to annoy Beijing. "The US pressured Tibetan representatives to postpone a meeting between the Dalai Lama and President Obama until after Obama's summit with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, scheduled for next month," Washington Post reported. The Dalai Lama has met every...

President Barack Obama has refused to meet the Dalai Lama in Washington this week in a move to curry favour 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...

In an attempt to gain favor with China, the United States pressured Tibetan representatives to postpone a meeting between the Dalai Lama and President Obama until after Obama's summit with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, scheduled for next month, according to diplomats, government officials and other sources familiar with the talks. 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,...

Admiral Timothy Keating said the closed lines of communication between China and the rest of the world could increase the risk of a serious military incident. Last month, Adml Keating reached out to China's leaders, offering the prospect of joint military exercises between the US and China. "We are anxious to engage with them at the earliest opportunity," he said. "We want to understand much better than we do now China's intentions". "We're watching them," said Adml Keating. "We're paying close attention. But I don't view China as a threat. We don't want them to view us as a threat."

New York's Empire State Building will light up red and yellow tomorrow to honor the 60th anniversary of communist China, according to the skyscraper's official website. The Chinese Communist Party has been in continuous power longer than any other current government in the world, the Associated Press reported. Chinese ambassador Peng Keyu and other officials will be present for the lighting ceremony. The skyscraper is scheduled to display the colors until Thursday. The Empire State Building website states, "All special lighting requests are considered based on the merit of their cause, the benefit of their use of the special lighting...

As China prepares for its big military parade next Thursday, when it will celebrate 60 years of Communist party rule with a display of power, it is clear the country has come out of the global crisis with its prestige greatly enhanced. It is not just the strong rebound in the economy. China is becoming more influential and confident overseas, shaping events rather than reluctantly reacting. President Hu Jintao even stole the show this week at the United Nations climate change summit with his pledge to restrain carbon emissions. Two years ago, environmental groups were terrified by China’s galloping energy...

Continued concerns about Chinese products being sold in the U.S. now include poultry. Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor was recognized in Washington today for his work on an agriculture appropriations bill that focuses on the use of appropriated funds from the Department of Agriculture for potential imports of poultry products from China. "Food safety and trade are not mutually exclusive, and are in fact very important to the economy of Arkansas. We can have both as long as the USDA can do its job of policing imports to make sure they meet our food safety standards. Our agreement enables the government...

With the interest in fighting global warming, President Hu Jintao pledged to cooperate with President Obama in making a deal to work together to fight global warming. The plan, to the frustration of the protestors that were gathered en masse around the UN building, lacked specifics over what would be done, while the Secretary General Ban Kai Moon also stated that he felt the talks were moving too slowly. He had convened the day’s meeting, as requested by French President Nicholas Sarkozy. President Hu and Obama will be talking later today. There’s a sense of increasing urgency while poorer countries...

Some Americans are still denial that a guy who appoints avowed communists to his circle of advisors, pursues massive government intervention in the economy, seeks to redistribute wealth, and sides with Marxist dictators like Castro and Chavez against the free people of a sovereign country ... is probably a socialist himself. But the Communist Chinese are under no such delusions. Hat Tip: Knowledge Is Power

NEW YORK — US President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was looking forward to visiting China in November, as he met Chinese President Hu Jintao and both sides vowed to forge a "comprehensive" relationship. The leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly here and both spoke warmly of improving Sino-US ties during a photo-op, without mentioning a trade dispute sparked by US duties on Chinese tire imports. "I am committed to pursuing a genuinely cooperative and comprehensive relationship with China," Obama said at the meeting at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. "We can make our relationship more...

With the interest in fighting global warming, President Hu Jinato pledged to cooperate with President Obama in making a deal to work together to fight global warming. The plan, to the frustration of the protestors that were gathered en masse around the UN building, lacked specifics over what would be done, while the Secretary General Ban Kai Moon also stated that he felt the talks were moving too slowly. He had convened the day’s meeting, as requested by French President Nicholas Sarkozy. President Hu and Obama will be talking later today. There’s a sense of increasing urgency while poorer countries...