White House Pressed on Human Rights Record
Fox News’ Ed Henry: “Because when you say, if there are concerns to be raised, Mr. Chen told the Daily Beast, I believe, that his wife tells him that she was tied to a chair, beaten, and interrogated by Chinese guards after they found out that he had turned up at the U.S. Embassy. So how can you possibly believe that the Chinese government can be trusted to really let him reunify with his family, if his wife was beaten?”
WH Spokesman Jay Carney: “Ed, let me just again, first of all, refer you to the State Department for, because this is an issue that they handle, for details, hold on –”
Henry: “About human rights, that really matters to him. You can’t just keep saying the State Department, the President said –”
Carney: “I think I’ve said a great deal more than that.” (Jay Carney, White House Press Briefing, Washington, DC, 5/3/12)
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Obama’s Policies Leave Human Rights Activists Wondering Whose Side Obama Is On
Obama Accused Of Sacrificing U.S. Principles Of Freedom To Achieve Other Objectives. “But critics on the left and right have accused the president of sacrificing some of the U.S. principles he has publicly celebrated on behalf of a diplomacy that administration officials often describe as willing to accept progress if a perfect outcome is not possible.” (Scott Wilson, “Shared Interests Define Obama's World,” The Washington Post, 11/2/09)
In 2009, Secretary Clinton Said Human Rights “Can’t Interfere” With More Pressing Issues That Needed Chinese Cooperation. SEC. CLINTON: “But successive administrations and Chinese governments have been poised back and forth on these issues, and we have to continue to press them. But our pressing on those issues can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis, and the security crisis. We have to have a dialogue that leads to an understanding and cooperation on each of those.” (Secretary Hillary Clinton, Roundtable With Traveling Press, Seoul, South Korea, 2/20/09)
When The Dalai Lama Visited The White House, He Was Asked To Exit Through A Service Door In A Failed Attempt To Hide His Visit From China. NBC’S BRIAN WILLIAMS: “How do you ask the Dalai Lama to leave the White House if you're trying to keep his visit from becoming too public? Well, judging from the trash bags that he had to walk around, the Obama White House had him exit through a door seldom used by anybody but household staff. It's where the West Wing meets the main residence. China, however, did notice the visit and called in the US ambassador to China today to protest.” (NBC Nightly News, 2/19/10)
With The Death Toll Climbing In Syria, Obama Policy Of “Leading From Behind” Is “Heightening Suspicions That America Is Not Serious About Supporting The Protests.” “Washington has instead continued to pursue a strategy of ‘leading from behind.’ It does so in part out of a belief that a more gung-ho approach may in fact deflect from efforts by members of the opposition' and paint them as the West's stooges, as the government has claimed. But as the killings mount, this policy is merely heightening suspicions that America is not serious about supporting the protests and preparing for a post-Assad Syria.” (Salman Shaikh, Op-Ed, “Preventing A Syrian Civil War,” The New York Times, 10/12/11)
Obama Claimed He Would “Bear Witness” To The Iranian’s Struggle For Justice. “We call for the immediate release of all who have been unjustly detained within Iran. We will continue to bear witness to the extraordinary events that are taking place there. And I'm confident that history will be on the side of those who seek justice.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks On Improving Homeland Security, Kaneohe, HI, 12/28/09)
But Obama’s Response To The “Green Revolution” Protests In Iran Was “Strained” In An Attempt To Maintain A Dialogue With The Iranian Government. “The result has been a gradually evolving message that at times has seemed strained, drawing some of the harshest criticism, especially from conservatives, since he took office. … During a Democratic presidential debate at the Citadel, Mr. Obama and the other candidates were asked if, during their first year as president, they would be willing to meet without preconditions with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. ‘I would,’ Mr. Obama replied.” (Helene Cooper, “Bit By Careful Bit, Obama Toughens Stance On Iran,” The New York Times, 6/24/09)
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