Obama Meets With Dalai Lama at White House

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

By Bloomberg News Feb 21, 2014 11:56 AM ET

U.S. President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama at the White House today, drawing a protest from China, which accuses the exiled spiritual leader of pushing for an independent Tibet.

The meeting this morning was the third between Obama and the Dalai Lama and comes at a time of growing tensions over China’s assertiveness in Asia. The Chinese government lodged a formal diplomatic protest, saying the meeting would hurt ties with the U.S., according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The meeting took place in private in the White House map room rather than the Oval Office and was closed to the news media. Obama went directly to an address to a group of Democratic governors and made no remarks about the meeting.

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‘Religious’ Leader

While the U.S. is concerned about human rights issues in Tibet, the president is meeting the Dalai Lama “in his capacity as an internationally respected religious and cultural leader,” said Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for Obama’s National Security Council.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-21/obama-to-welcome-the-dalai-lama-for-white-house-meeting.html

[Jesus Malverde]

1. I thought he retired...nt

[LiberalElite]

10. he did - from the political part of the job

but he's still head of Tibetan Buddhism.

[Iliyah]

2. The Dalai Lama is a true spiritual being

something the nutty RWers need to embrace, nad, they are too evil.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

4. He met the RWers

Yesterday. They are claiming they converted him of something.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dalai-lama-translates-true-happiness-during-visit-to-american-enterprise-institute/2014/02/20/37fa68e8-9a48-11e3-b88d-f36c07223d88_story.html

[RoccoR5955]

8. That's the Dalai Lama's MO!

Make you think that you have made HIM do something, and in actuality, YOU have been made to do something.

He's a very clever man!

[Arkana]

3. That's gonna make China mad.

[grahamhgreen]

7. Maybe they'll pull out of the costly trade agreements:)

[quadrature]

5. HHtDL sidesteps piles of trash entering back door of White House

story and pic at CS Monitor.

I kinda wonder what kind of welcome
Obama will
get at the Vatican.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2010/0219/At-White-House-the-Dalai-Lama-sidesteps-trash

I guess Obama didn't want China to
find out.

[dreamnightwind]

9. Hippies use the back door

Capitalists and militarists use the front door. Sad.

Love the Dalai Lama.

When Clinton was president I fully expected that the brutal oppression of the Tibetan Buddhists by the Chinese would be ended, using China's desired "most favored nation" status as the lever. Unfortunately I didn't yet understand who the corporate Democrats were. They know people love the Dalai Lama so they pay him lip-service while doing business with the Chinese oppressors.



The following white house statement attempts to explain this, looks like empty spin to me.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2010/0219/At-White-House-the-Dalai-Lama-sidesteps-trash

This just in from White House spokesman Tommy Vietor:

"You reported that the Dalai Lama left the White House out of the back door. That's just not accurate. He exited through the Palm Room doors. The Dalai Lama said he was pleased by the visit, and I assume he exited through the Palm Room doors because that's the easiest, quickest, and most convenient way to get to the stakeout location to speak with the press."

At least Obama met with him, I thank him for that.

[jsr]

6. Obama can meet whoever he wants. China can go to hell.