Hillary Clinton’s Statement on Tibet

A few days after Senator Obama issued a statement on Tibet, Senator Hillary Clinton did the same.  She said, in part:

I am deeply concerned about the violent clashes that have erupted in Lhasa, Tibet. Based on the limited information available, there is an urgent need for all parties, and in particular the Chinese security forces, to exercise restraint, to demonstrate respect for human rights and to protect civilians from danger. I call on the Chinese government to prevent further escalation of this conflict and to urgently pursue resolution through peaceful means.

It would have been nice if Senator Clinton had used the word “condemn,” like Senator Obama did.  But it does seem that this statement is marginally better than the tepid plea for “restraint” from the White House.

But words are words; what about actions?

The Huffington Post had an interesting take on Senator Clinton’s unwillingness to re-list China as a human rights violator:

I asked [Clinton advisor Lee] Feinstein a simple, direct question: whether, in light of events in Tibet, Mrs. Clinton would call on the Bush Administration to re-list China as a human rights violator. In response, he referred to a statement he said Clinton had issued on the events in Tibet and saying that she has a long history of concern about Tibet and has talked with the Dalai Lama and Chinese officials in the past.

That’s great as far as it goes — but it ducked my question. So I asked again, directly, whether in addition to whatever she said in that statement (which, as it turns out, wasn’t issued until 2-1/2 hours after the press call, and does not mention the delisting of China as a human rights violator), Clinton would call to restore China’s name to the Administration’s list of human rights violators. Feinstein answered that he had nothing to add to Clinton’s prepared statement — i.e., no, Clinton isn’t calling for the Bush Administration to label China what it is — a consistent violator of human rights that has been listed annually in the past and deserves to be again.

When it comes to action, we’re still waiting for an official, any official, to actually do something to help the situation in Tibet (e.g. supporting an Olympic boycott or a U.N. inquiry in Tibet)!