Asa Hutchinson: “I turn, I believe, to an issue of great, great importance to this body and to the Nation. In defending his policy before…”

“I turn, I believe, to an issue of great, great importance to this body and to the Nation. In defending his policy before he left for China, President Clinton said: We do not ignore the value of symbols, but in the end, if the choice is between making a symbolic point and making a real difference, I choose to make a difference. I say to my colleagues, today we have a chance to make a difference. The President went on and said: When it comes to advancing human rights and religious freedom, dealing directly, speaking honestly with the Chinese is clearly the best way to make a difference. While in China, President Clinton was allowed to make some tempered remarks on human rights abuses in China, though, unfortunately, he was quick to equate them with problems in America. He came back from China hailing his trip as a success and praising President Jiang and saying-- I quote again-- ``feeling the breeze of freedom.'' Only a week after President Clinton's return from China, China demonstrated the impact of this rhetoric on their attitude and their policies by arresting 10 democracy advocates. There their crime was not rape. It was not theft. It was not burglary. It was not grand larceny. It was not fraud. Their crime was that they dared to start a democratic opposition party.…”