At Least Hillary Did Not Kiss Him

Gordon G. Chang writes about Hillary Clinton's visit to China:

“It’s a bit chilly in Beijing,” said Yang Jiechi, “but I have confidence that you will see the biggest number of smiling faces here.” China’s foreign minister was not commenting on yesterday’s weather in friendly banter with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. His point was that China’s happy people were proof of the regime’s good human rights record.

Yang was lying, of course. But that’s not the point. Clinton knew he was lying, and that’s not the point either. The point is that Yang knew that Clinton knew he was lying but did not challenge him. The Chinese, in short, were putting forth their version of reality and Americans were accepting it. Minister Yang knew he had just humbled the United States. [emphasis added]

Thinking back, Hillary Clinton did not challenge Soha Arafat either. Remember when at a joint appearance years ago Soha Arafat claimed that Israel used poison gas against Palestinian children--and when Arafat was finished speaking Clinton gave her a kiss.

Apparently, that kiss created a change in Hillary Clinton's expressed attitude towards Israel. Just last month, the following was reported on NBC Nightly News:

On Friday’s NBC Nightly News, correspondent Andrea Mitchell filed a report that reminded viewers of an embarrassing political episode from Hillary Clinton’s past: the controversial hug and kiss she shared with Yasser Arafat’s wife, Suha, during a trip to the West Bank. The NBC correspondent related that Clinton had taken a position favoring a Palestinian state early on, but, after her controversial "embrace" with Mrs. Arafat, she became known for being "an unrelenting supporter of Israel," and argued that Mrs. Clinton’s popularity in the Arab world, and that of former President Clinton, would be an asset as Secretary of State.

Mitchell: "As first lady, Hillary Clinton was an early advocate of a Palestinian state until a misplaced embrace of Yasser Arafat's wife, Suha, backfired politically back home. From then on, Clinton was an unrelenting supporter of Israel but, experts say, is still well known and liked by Arab leaders."

The last politician I know of who was known to be pro-Arab and was supported by Palestinan Arabs before suddenly turning around and declaring himself a supporter of Israel--is Barack Obama.

Technorati Tag: Clinton and China and Soha Arafat and Yang Jiechi.