Via The Hill:
Chen Guangcheng’s daring escape to the U.S. embassy turned into a major political headache for President Obama on Thursday as Republicans accused the administration of naively handing the blind human rights activist back to Chinese authorities….
Embassy officials say Chen left the embassy of his own volition to be reunited with his family and get treated for injuries sustained during his escape from house arrest. He now says U.S. diplomats pressured him to leave and that Chinese officials threatened his family.
White House press secretary Jay Carney pushed back at that suggestion on Thursday, insisting U.S. officials put no pressure on the dissident and that Chen did not ask for asylum while at the U.S. embassy.
Things were escalated when Chen phoned into a congrssional hearing today, via CBS News:
The blind Chinese activist who recently left the U.S. embassy in Beijing on Thursday made a direct appeal to lawmakers on Capitol Hill to come to the United States. Calling in to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, dissident Chen Guangcheng told lawmakers he is concerned for the safety of his family and he wants to thank Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her efforts to help him over the past few days.
“I hope I can get more help from her,” he said over speakerphone to the two Republican lawmakers who were present.
The 40-year old lawyer had taken refuge in the U.S. embassy after escaping house arrest but was later released to a hospital in China.
“The thing I (am) most concerned (about) right now is the safety of my mother, my brothers, and I really want to know what’s going on with them,” Chen said through a translator.
Chen said he wanted to come to the United States for some “rest,” because he has not rested for 10 years.
Update 5-4-2012: Problem solved? Chen will be allowed to leave the country on a student visa to study in the U.S.
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Comments
Despicable.
“Gutsy call” my not-Cherokee ass.
Agreed. Breathtakingly craven and despicable.
Maybe…possibly…someday..
Someone will notice that Hillary Clinton, not Obama, but Hillary….
Flat out destroyed the State Dept.
Too much?
Over the top?
So few threads, so much “information”…
Open threads can be helpful (hint-hint)
Blame Bush-
literally, rhetorically, and functionally-
ugh.
If she were to destroy the State Dept then she’d deserve a medal. It needs destroying. And John Bolton may be just the demolition expert to do it.
Agreed, the Augean state-bles need a complete cleaning out and fumigation. I’d send all those quislings packing.
IIRC it was her husband that created the mess at the State Department.
Like heck it was!
State jumped the shark in the Truman Administration and has been working against American interests ever since – with relatively few interruptions.
If we wanted to hang all the traitors at Foggy Bottom, we would first need a viable domestic hemp industry.
When I heard he was in the Embassy, my only thought was how long would it take for the Hildebeast to have one of her flunkeys throw him out and say he wanted to go.
He lasted longer than I thought he would.
From yesterday at Associated Press, in a story about Chen, comes my entry for the most insensitive headline of the week….
“US: blind activist in medical care, to see family”
Journalism at its finest.
I would have to call that a minor nit to pick, in that “to see” has multiple meanings these days, including “to meet with.”
Let’s not sweat the little stuff.
My heart goes out to Chen and his family.
I hope they can get him out, but it looks bleak.
Heartbreaking.
In GWB’s first few months in office, he had to deal with the Chinese forcing down one of our intelligence-gathering planes. Since Bush was the Village Idiot, it’ll be interesting to see how our genious “Light Worker” handles this one.
see also:
https://legalinsurrection.com/focus/tips/comment-page-41/#comment-336037
For those griping about Hillary, I see no specifics in the linked articles indicating that it was her call to make. Recall that she works for Teh “gutsy” Won, who has made throwing people under the bus a cottage industry in DC.
…Come to think of it, that’s a perfect situation for the Chicago Jackass; he “makes the call,” but Hillary gets the bad PR.
Recall that she works for Teh “gutsy” Won
Was she conscripted?
For those griping about Hillary, I see no specifics in the linked articles …
Just want you to know that there isn’t much I can say without being impolite-
This being a family show…
C’mon, Browndog. You’re and adult. I’m sure you can explain yourself without cusswords. That’s OWS-thinking, there. 😉
No, seriously: did I miss a cite? Or do you just have trouble with people who don’t reflexively attack Hillary at every opportunity?
Hillary’s job is to implement the President’s foreign policy but if she’s asked to do something she feels is immoral, she has an obligation to speak out or step down. There’s no way in hell she can avoid blame for this by blaming Obama. That “I’m just following orders” crap doesn’t fly anymore.
Blind chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng explained two minutes.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/story-blind-chinese-dissident-chen-guangcheng-explained-two-minutes
Courtesy of Taiwanese animators.
It’s the 3 a.m. phone call. Somebody lost the reset button!
Never was one-
*Overcharge*
I’m having one of those, hmmm moments.
Why did this guy conveniently escape right before Hillary was arriving?
How did he get a direct phone line to the Republican meeting?
Whose cell phone did he use to call that number, since he was in the custody of the Chinese?
This is a set up.
Hillary is poised to save him, and make Obama once again look like a hero.
WE ARE ALL BEING SET UP. I’m not buying this bizarre story anymore.
It’s just too convenient, too perfectly timed, and since I have to deal with a husband in Kuwait who has problems getting through to me via phone, I’m realizing that a broke dissident WITHOUT a phone can’t make calls to the USA.
Stinky stinky stinky.
The President of CHINAaid has been in contact with Chen’s supporters so it probably didn’t take much to get a phone to a family member or sympathetic staff at the hospital with his number on speed dial and instructions for a time to call. Chinese dissidents actually have a pretty well formed network.
I knew this stunk. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/us-embassy-car-picked-chen-chase-094913675.html
Shameful
I don’t get it. He is Chinese & the Chinese say they are top dogs these days. Why is it USA’s problem?
Anti abortion? yeah well it is not as if the USA is anti abortion. What else has he got?
Tell him to go to the UN.
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The Chinese generals are sitting there looking on and thinking now is the time to hit us, like the ungrateful bastards really want to–thank you Bill Clinton and Loral. The people will support them because they have been fed that we don’t want China to succeed.
We have a pussball in the WH, a coward who esteems himself higher than God, flag, and country, a wimp who despises country and will do whatever is demeaning to her. Obama doesn’t have the balls to look down the gun at the Chinese, like George Bush did or Sarah Palin would, and say if you don’t do X you can expect Y and Z. Besides, he doesn’t want to face them down. The Communist Chinese are his role models for all that he wants to do and is doing–except for maintaining a capitalist economy, of course.
Hilary has until her plane takes off, IMHO. If she leaves without Chen, it will be a disaster for Obama’s foreign policy. Politically, it will hurt, too, and that’s all they really care about.
This isn’t the first time lately, either. When Biden visited, a relatively high-level Party official presented himself at the Embassy for asylum and was turned away – reportedly on orders from Biden’s staff, who didn’t want any “complications” on his mission.
That earlier official, by the way, was taken by Chinese security forces and has not been heard from since.