President Bush Criticized on China

The Administration is nothing if not consistent in continuing American policy toward vulnerable countries under our influence.

China is just one more in the Dickensian chain of repressive countries embraced (and sometimes created) by the U.S. in the name of “security.” It’s tragic and disheartening how willing our government--under administrations of both persuasions--has been to deal with governments which use murder and mayhem to control their populations.

There is one difference here, of course. We are playing footsie with a leftist regime in China, where usually we will ignore practically any acts of inhumanity to support right-wing dictators, often participating in the overthrow of humane and effective “leftist” leaders (i.e., Chile, El Salvador, Panama).

It’s interesting that, as we finally seem to be putting the “Red Menace” into some realistic perspective in the modern world, we will run hat-in-hand to the murderers in China and still resist full support of the extraordinary changes in Russia. America, it seems, learns very slowly.

ALLAN RABINOWITZ

Los Angeles