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Obama backing down on China [another embarrassment for the President]
China Post ^

Posted on 02/04/2009 5:30:22 AM PST by AfterManyASummer

The Obama administration backed away from a confrontation with China after Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said during confirmation hearings that “President Obama — backed by the conclusions of a broad range of economists — believes that China is manipulating its currency.”

China immediately hit back, denying that it manipulated its currency to get an unfair trade advantage. Within days, Vice President Joe Biden said on television: “There's been no judgment based in the administration that there has been a manipulation.” That word, he explained, “triggers within trade agreements certain responses.”

And President Obama himself telephoned Hu Jintao to give his Chinese counterpart further reassurances.

(Excerpt) Read more at chinapost.com.tw ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: 0bama; abovemypaygrade; bho2009; china; communismkills; democrats; geithner; obama; overhishead; starkravingsocialist; ussa
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To: kabar
Reality is a bitch. The Chinese have over $1 trillion in hard currency reserves and they are buying our T-bills, which enables the Treasury to print money to fund the stimulus package. Just as Obama wants to control the executive pay of those firms that accept bailout money, the Chinese will be calling the shots on our foreign policy towards them and elsewhere.


21 posted on 02/04/2009 6:04:01 AM PST by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (I want to "Buy American" but the only things for sale made in the USA are politicians)
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To: P-Marlowe
This is going to be a long four years.

I pray every day that it is only four.

22 posted on 02/04/2009 6:05:56 AM PST by verga (I am not an apologist, I just play one on Television)
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To: AfterManyASummer

Another no pre-conditions moment.


23 posted on 02/04/2009 6:08:05 AM PST by TADSLOS (McCain always has a job as Obama's Butt Boy when he loses his seat in 2010)
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To: kabar

China has their own problems. They have roughly 20 million unemployed rural bumpkins in their cities looking for work, and with the economic downturn in the US, there is no work to be had. We aren’t buying as much Chicom junk as we did.

Jintao recently got all his military together and told them it was their duty to obey the Communist Party no matter what. I suspect the leadership fears massive civil unrest and the need for a military smackdown.

The Chinese have to buy our T-bills in the porkulus package if there is a significant probability it will get us buying their cheap junk again. Otherwise they have to trash their economic model and go back to the era of the Cultural Revolution.

We have strange co-dependent marriage with China; neither party really loves the other but neither party can afford a divorce.


24 posted on 02/04/2009 6:08:40 AM PST by henkster (When I was young I was told anyone could be President. Now I believe it.)
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To: AfterManyASummer

Barry Hussein is dumber than a box of rocks.


25 posted on 02/04/2009 6:11:25 AM PST by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: King Moonracer
“Blinky Obama”, because when the world farts, he blinks.

And takes several deep breaths.

26 posted on 02/04/2009 6:11:30 AM PST by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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To: AfterManyASummer

When conservatives criticize his decisions and statements, he hits back hard. When socialists and dictators criticize him, he backs down.

Whose side is he on anyway? He’s making the answer to that question more and more clear with each passing day. And Americans are finally sitting up and taking notice.


27 posted on 02/04/2009 6:14:10 AM PST by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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To: AfterManyASummer

Starring
Barack Obama!

28 posted on 02/04/2009 6:14:54 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
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To: AfterManyASummer
He backed down to the EU on trade, Iran on terror...now China on currency manipulation

And Russia on missile defense.

29 posted on 02/04/2009 6:17:16 AM PST by denydenydeny (People in dictatorships long for truth while pampered, decadent people in the West long for myth.)
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To: proud American in Canada

“He’s not dealing with the stupid American electorate here. Foreign leaders are smart and have memories. They are not going to forget that he said something one day and backed away from it the next.”
_____________________________________

You’re exactly right.


Plus, O can’t threaten to sue them.................


30 posted on 02/04/2009 6:19:55 AM PST by PeterPrinciple ( Seeking the truth here folks.)
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To: henkster
I would rather hold the Chinese hand, then our own. If you pay the piper, you must dance to his tune. Yes, China has problems, but they can control them with their authoritarian power. There is no ACLU there nor will the government tolerate dissidents.

21% of China's exports go to the US. They cannot escape the worldwide economic meltdown. .

And we are looking at the perfect storm in the next decade as our entitlement programs start crashing down around our ears with close to $60 trillion in unfunded liabilities; our pro-population growth immigration policies fuel a population increase of 165 million in the next 50 years, and our national debt consumes more of federal revenue up from the current 17 cents out of every federal dollar. We are the world's biggest debtor. At least China has the luxury of large currency reserves.

We may have some civil unrest in our future as our country becomes more and more Balkanized along ethnic, cultural, and linguistic lines.

It remains to be seen how China parlays its economic influence over us. Taiwan may become the peace offering, i.e., the US tacitly agrees to let China take it over through threat and possibly force.

31 posted on 02/04/2009 6:21:59 AM PST by kabar
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To: kabar
Taiwan may become the peace offering, i.e., the US tacitly agrees to let China take it over through threat and possibly force.

China has been using US money to research and build stealth subs, anti-satellite weapons, and who knows what else. I'm not sure the US would win a war over Taiwan. More likely we would have a 50 year agreement like the UK made for Hong Kong.

32 posted on 02/04/2009 6:40:44 AM PST by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (I want to "Buy American" but the only things for sale made in the USA are politicians)
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To: verga; P-Marlowe

Help assure this by getting your state legistlature and Governors to pass a “Prove your eligible to be on the Ballot” bill. Have them require a certified long form birth certificate for candidates.


33 posted on 02/04/2009 6:50:13 AM PST by FreeAtlanta (Join the Constitution Party)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas
The US does not have the authority to negotiate with China over the disposition of Taiwan. It is not analogous to the UK position over Hong Kong. It was Jimmy Carter who got us into the One China policy whereby we recognize Taiwan as part of China, but any reunification would have to be peaceful and subject to approval by both parties.

Taiwan has the world's 20th largest economy, bigger than Turkey, Austria, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Poland, South Afria, just to name a few. It is also a democratic country. For us to negotiate away its sovereignty and place it under a Communist dictatorship would be morally reprehensible and an act of enormous betrayal.

34 posted on 02/04/2009 6:59:55 AM PST by kabar
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To: AfterManyASummer; denydenydeny
He backed down to the EU on trade, Iran on terror...now China on currency manipulation

And Russia on missile defense.

At what point does he officially become the Sniveling Snot Sucker-in-chief?

Oh, wait ... he has declared jihad on the unborn.

35 posted on 02/04/2009 7:05:17 AM PST by Boston Blackie
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To: AfterManyASummer

This guy is clearly not ready for prime time.


36 posted on 02/04/2009 7:39:57 AM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (The committed will surely dominate the complacent.)
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To: kabar
It is not analogous to the UK position over Hong Kong.

The similarity is the difficulty, or even impossibility, of defending it against China. If such a defense becomes a reality, I hope we would have a better commander than MacArthur was in the Philippines in 1941.

For us to negotiate away its sovereignty and place it under a Communist dictatorship would be morally reprehensible and an act of enormous betrayal.

I agree but look who is in charge:


37 posted on 02/04/2009 8:25:48 AM PST by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (I want to "Buy American" but the only things for sale made in the USA are politicians)
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To: henkster

“Foreign leaders are smart”

And are not burdened with being PC. Obama seems to idiotically think he’s dealing with someone who respects him (like the press), not ruthless gangsters who secretly laugh their heads off at him behind doors.


38 posted on 02/04/2009 8:41:04 AM PST by Niuhuru (Fine, here's my gun, but let me give you the bullets first. I'll send them to you through the barrel)
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To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas
The similarity is the difficulty, or even impossibility, of defending it against China.

The Brits had a lease with China on Hong Kong and it expired. It was not a hostile takeover. There was no question of defending it from the Chinese. The UK did get some concessions from the Chinese on Hong Kong's status, which was advantageous for China as well.

If such a defense becomes a reality, I hope we would have a better commander than MacArthur was in the Philippines in 1941.

The US defense of Taiwan would boil down to threatening the PRC with a nuclear attack should they try to take Taiwan by force. Just as Clinton and other Presidents have done, the US Seventh Fleet would play a major role acting as a trip wire.

The real question is what will Obama do when the rubber hits the road. Will he signal weakness allowing the PRC to move or will he send the message to the PRC that any such forcible takeover of Taiwan would lead to a war with the US. There is economic leverage, but that only goes so far.

I was in the PRC just before the took over Macau. They had a huge clock near the Great Wall ticking down the days, hours and minutes when the handover would take place. And now that the Olympics are over, the PRC will increase the pressure on Taiwan to capitulate and to isolate Taiwan more from the US, including trying to dissuade us from selling arms to Taiwan.

39 posted on 02/04/2009 9:03:04 AM PST by kabar
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To: AfterManyASummer

Obambi is totally CLUELESS


40 posted on 02/04/2009 9:12:49 AM PST by mojitojoe
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