Basic competence
by David Atkins
America doesn’t spend much time thinking about the Bush Administration any more. Not surprising, given how awful and traumatizing it was. The Administration was so defined by the impact of the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath that we often forget the bumbling mess that it was in its first seven months. One of those bumbling episodes was the Hainan incident, which caused an unnecessarily severe diplomatic row with China.
Contrast with this:
Chen Guangcheng, the blind legal defender who made a dramatic escape from house arrest and whose decision to seek refuge in American Embassy jolted American-Sino relations, left China aboard a commercial flight bound for the United States, according to friends who have spoken to him.
Mr. Chen left Beijing on a United Airlines flight bound for Newark with his wife and two children at around 5:30 p.m. after facing earlier delays.
Earlier Saturday Mr. Chen told friends over a cellphone that he was excited to be leaving China but that he was also worried about the fate of relatives he leaves behind. “He’s happy to finally have a rest after seven years of suffering but he’s also worried they will suffer some retribution,” said Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, a Christian advocacy group based in Texas…
One of China’s best known dissidents, Mr. Chen, 40, made an improbable escape last month from home confinement, scaling walls and evading the dozens of guards who were charged with keeping him and his family locked up in their Shandong Province farmhouse.
With the help of Chinese activists, Mr. Chen made his way to Beijing, and days later, into the American diplomatic compound. During several days of tense negotiations between American and Chinese officials, Mr. Chen insisted he wanted to stay in China — as long as the safety of he and his family could be guaranteed. Exile, he said, would effectively silence his voice.
A deal was reached, but Mr. Chen grew fearful and changed his mind in the hours after leaving the embassy. A fresh crisis ensued — with the Obama administration accused of pressuring him to leave the embassy — and another agreement was forged. The Chinese government agreed to allow Mr. Chen to attend New York University on a fellowship.
Notice the lack of chest-thumping from the Obama Administration on this, and the quiet calm with which it was handled. The Obama Administration is far from perfect on many things to be sure, but at least it can be counted on for basic competence and lack of drama in affairs of state.
It’s no exaggeration to suggest that under a Republican Administration, Mr. Chen might not be free or even alive today.
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