“Mao Zedong” on The Daily Caller

President Obama famously responded to a question about “American exceptionalism.” Asked by a reporter if he believed in it, Mr. Obama replied: “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.” It was as if he’d just gotten back from Lake Wobegon, where all the children are above average. (more)

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment remained at a high 9.6 percent in the month of September. Private sector job growth was positive, but lower than expected. If the current rate of job growth held steady, it would take 20 years for the United States to make up for all of the jobs lost in the recession. (more)

“Mao’s Last Dancer” (2009). Bruce Beresford, director. Great Scott Productions, 117 minutes. In English and Mandarin with English subtitles.  (more)

BEIJING (AP) — China’s plans to vaccinate 100 million children and come a step closer to eradicating measles has set off a popular outcry that highlights widening public distrust of the authoritarian government after repeated health scandals. (more)

Last week the White House reversed another Bush administration policy and sent a report to the UN Human Rights Council outlining America’s supposed human rights violations.  President Obama’s litany of abuses by the United States includes discrimination against and oppression of minorities, women, gays and the handicapped, and even takes Arizona’s new immigration law to task. Our president also modestly adds the grand work he is doing to save us from ourselves, like his healthcare program. (more)

Since there have been so many bailouts, Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger suggested in the pages of the Wall Street Journal that print and broadcast media should be bailed out, too.  He calls this “enhanced public funding of journalism.”  He dismisses concerns that government funding might lead to government control, citing “a strong culture of independence.”  A few days after Bollinger’s article appeared, he was named Chairman of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, so he is in a position to promote his ideas on a larger stage. (more)

China’s on-again-off-again approach to U.S-China military interaction and Beijing’s refusal to allow Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to visit China during his recent Asian trip reveals a dysfunctional military relationship that’s the result of much more than Beijing’s displeasure over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. It reflects fundamentally different national strategic objectives and the changing locus of leverage that result from China’s growing power and influence relative to the U.S. (more)

It has been nearly a decade since President George W. Bush chose arrogance over humility as the basis of American foreign policy. The intervening years have not been good for the United States or the Republican Party. As the GOP seeks to take back the White House it needs to conduct a serious foreign policy debate. Republicans should start by listening to Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas). (more)

LIUZHOU, China — When professors in China need to author research papers to get promoted, many turn to people like Lu Keqian. (more)

One of the little-noticed actions in the recently concluded session of the Chinese National People’s Congress was the enactment of a National Defense Mobilization Law. In an age when conventional conflicts are planned to conclude in a matter of days or weeks, it is striking that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) should choose to ensure its readiness for a protracted war. Indeed, it suggests that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is thinking about future wars in a very different way from their Western counterparts, where full-scale mobilization is rarely discussed at all. Whereas the U.S. and its allies have mostly neglected the prospect of a prolonged high-intensity conflict, the PLA appears intent on preparing for both short- and long-term wars. (more)