That's bull shit. Is Hu gonna apologise for killing thousands for practicing a religion now? Caues that would make them even.
Damn! Don't remind me. I was in China at the time, when their embassy was bombed, but it was Serbia, not Bulgaria. My hosts were so pissed. 'Does the US want a war with China?', they asked me. They didn't buy the official excuse that the Americans had an old map of the city. I was also in China when the American spy plane collided with the Chinese plane, and the Chinese pilot got killed. That got the people pissed as well. I keep having to claim that I'm Argentine, and I know nothing about US policy. But things keep happening. Maybe I should stop going to China, before they do start a war.
So which is it? Was it an elaborately orchestrated White House plan to embarrass Hu and 'say everything they wanted' without actually saying it? Or is Bush evil and incompetent for apologizing for the protestor? Because I don't see how you can have it both ways. I'm often amazed at how easily conspiracy theories arise and how much credit people give to an administration that they spend the majority of the time saying how stupid and incompetent they are.
I think you can have it both was because the message still got out. Bush has to keep face no matter what and that's where the appology fits in. While I generally say that this administration lacks competence there is one thing that they excel at. Dirty politics. This move has Rove written all over it. It reminds me of the Swift Boat situation. A group works to discredit an opponent and Bush apologises. Still doesn't matter because Bush wins in the end. But I'd prefer if he didn't apologise. He should have just said to Hu "That's how we roll here".
Yeah when Bush first learned the name of the Chinese President it must have been like an Abbot and Costello routine: Bush: The President of China? Condi: Hu Bush: The Chinese President? Condi: Hu Bush: The President of China? Condi: Hu Bush: The Chinese President!!!! Condi: Hu!!! Bush: Condi, who is the Chinese President??!!!! Condi: Exactly!!!!
Even worse is what happened to President Hu. He got to Washington and was getting horny, so he told his entourage that he wanted bush, and they took him straight to the White House.