The Chinese know all this. And so does the rest of the world.

If China agrees to restart its human right talks with the U.S., it will no doubt  make all the right noises. It doesn’t dare jeopardize the billions it has invested in its Olympics infrastructure and image makeover.

But, at the end of the day, the United States will find itself hoisted by its own petard. The Chinese will go right on violating the human rights of its people.

Because our own behavior has stolen our credibility. It has robbed us of the leverage we once had. Our State Department can continue to put out its annual reports of human rights abuses around the world – and it should. But, next year, it needs to include us.

Getting another country to change anything has always been a tough sell. But it’s a lot tougher when the salesman is pitching a tainted product.

 1  |  2