What a difference a couple of years in the Oval Office makes!
On Wednesday, Obama threw a lavish state dinner for the president of China, Hu Jintao.
From the Los Angeles Times:
Michelle and Barack Obama welcomed a mix of Hollywood A-listers, big business types and prominent Chinese-Americans to the White House as they threw a "quintessentially American" state dinner Wednesday for the president of China, complete with apple pie and ice cream, and jazz music for the entertainment.
The first lady was clad in an elegant red shoulder-baring gown that swished around her in soft folds and the president sported a tuxedo as they welcomed Chinese President Hu Jintao on a red carpet on the White House portico. An honor guard stood at attention behind them.
Celebrity star power arrived in the form of singer Barbra Streisand, her hubby-actor James Brolin and action film star Jackie Chan. Big business turned out in force, too, including Microsoft's Steven Ballmer and JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, among others. Among the big names: fashion's Vera Wang, Vogue's Anna Wintour, artist Maya Lin, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to add some gravitas. Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter made the cut, too.
...The two presidents' toasts featured the usual promises of better relations all around, and Obama used the moment to highlight an agreement that will ensure the beloved giant pandas from China remain at the Smithsonian National Zoo for another five years.
...On the menu: d'anjou pear salad with farmstead goat cheese, poached Maine lobster, orange glazed carrots and black trumpet mushrooms, dry aged rib eye with buttermilk crisp onions, double-stuffed potatoes and creamed spinach. Dessert was to be old-fashioned apple pie with vanilla ice cream.
...Streisand, who also made the guest list for an afternoon luncheon at the State Department, said she was appearing at her first state dinner since the Clinton years. The singer, who helped raise money for Obama during the presidential campaign, said she had "a lot of friends here."
Asked for a thought on why she had been invited, she quipped: "I worked in a Chinese restaurant."
More details about the state dinner here.
Guest list here.
It was quite a glitzy affair in honor of Hu.
Yes, Hu was wined and dined by Obama.
It's hard to believe that just a couple of years ago Obama was calling for President Bush to boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing.
FLASHBACK, April, 10, 2008:
Barack Obama is following Hillary's lead. He, too, wants President Bush to be a no-show at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing.LEVITTOWN, Pa. -- Barack Obama joined Democratic presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday in calling for President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Clinton had commended British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for announcing that he will skip the August ceremonies in China's capital, and called on Obama and likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain to join her in urging Bush to do the same.
Obama did later in the day; his campaign issued a statement in which, for the first time, he urged Bush to boycott the festivities.
...Obama said a boycott "should be firmly on the table," but that a decision should be made closer to the Games.
"If the Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security and human rights of the Tibetan people, then the president should boycott the opening ceremonies," he said. "As I have communicated in public and to the president, it is past time for China to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people, to allow foreign journalists and diplomats access to the region, and to engage the Dalai Lama in meaningful talks about the future of Tibet."
Obama previously had said he was conflicted about U.S. participation, but that "there should be consequences" for China if it does not take steps to respect rights and freedoms in Tibet.
In April of 2008, on the campaign trail, Obama declared that President Bush should boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics if China didn't get its act together when it comes to human rights.
I have trouble reconciling that position with the way in which Obama has played host to Hu Jintao in 2011.
Obama showed great concern over the human rights record of the Chinese in 2008. Of course, atrocities have been committed for DECADES under the oppressive communist regime. That continues to be the case today.
Obama certainly didn't have a "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" moment with Hu. Instead, he brought in Hollywood celebrities and former Democrat presidents to honor him.
Human rights? Did someone say "human rights"?
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