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Apologizing for Arizona
A State Department official's expression of regret in human rights talks with China over Arizona's new immigration law has sparked sharp protests from conservatives, but a State Department spokesman didn't respond to a request to comment on the concession.
The AP reported that Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner told reporters that "officials also discussed Chinese complaints about problems with U.S. human rights, which have included crime, poverty, homelessness and racial discrimination.
"He said U.S. officials did not whitewash the American record and in fact raised on its own a new immigration law in Arizona that requires police to ask about a person's immigration status if there is suspicion the person is in the country illegally."
Writes Power Line's John Hinderaker:
What an idiot! China murdered millions of its citizens who opposed the government's Communist policies and allows most of its people little or no freedom. We, on the other hand, enforce our immigration laws. No, wait — actually we don't. That's why Arizona had to take a shot at it. Oh, by the way, Michael Posner, you clueless moron — China actually does enforce its immigration laws.
Posner's actual words, with Ambassador Jon Huntsman beside him:
QUESTION: Was there any areas in which China sort of turned the tables and raised its own complaints or concerns about U.S. practices around the globe or at home? Can you give some examples there -
ASSISTANT SECRETARY POSNER: Sure. You know, I think - again, this goes back to Ambassador Huntsman's comment. Part of a mature relationship is that you have an open discussion where you not only raise the other guy's problems, but you raise your own, and you have a discussion about it. We did plenty of that. We had experts from the U.S. side, for example, yesterday, talking about treatment of Muslim Americans in an immigration context. We had a discussion of racial discrimination. We had a back-and-forth about how each of our societies are dealing with those sorts of questions. ...
QUESTION: Did the recently passed Arizona immigration law come up? And, if so, did they bring it up or did you bring it up?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY POSNER: We brought it up early and often. It was mentioned in the first session, and as a troubling trend in our society and an indication that we have to deal with issues of discrimination or potential discrimination, and that these are issues very much being debated in our own society.
State Department spokesman PJ Crowley didn't respond to a request to comment on Posner's apparent comparison between the Arizona law and Chinese human rights abuses.
politico
