wexirsa9's Journal

We discussed human rights in China, but they also...
We discussed human rights in China, but they also asked me about human rights problems in the United States and about what I could do to increase the American peoples understanding of ChinaThese were fair questions from young people who wanted their country to change but were still proud of it

Premier Zhu Rongji hosted a lunch for the delegation in which we discussed the economic and social challenges facing China, as well as the remaining issues we still had to resolve in order to bring China into the World Trade OrganizationI was strongly in favor of doing so, in order to continue Chinas integration into the global economy, and to increase both its acceptance of international rules of law and its willingness to cooperate with the United States and other nations on a whole range of other issuesThat night President Jiang and Madame Wang invited us to dine alone with them at their official residence, which lay beside a placid lake inside the compound that housed Chinas most important leadersThe more time I spent with Jiang, the more I liked himHe was intriguing, funny, and fiercely proud, but always willing to listen to different points of viewEven though I didnt always agree with him, I became convinced that he believed he was changing China as fast as he could, and in the right direction

From Beijing we went to Shanghai, which seemed to have more construction cranes than any other city in the worldHillary and I had a fascinating discussion about Chinas problems and potential with a group of younger Chinese, including professors, businesspeople, a consumer advocate, chanel devil wears prada necklace and a novelistOne of the most enlightening experiences of the entire trip was a radio call-in show I did with the mayorThere were some good but predictable questions for me on economic and security matters, but the mayor got more questions than I did; his callers were interested in better education and more computers, and worried about the traffic congestion as a result of the citys growing prosperity and expansionIt struck me that if citizens were complaining to the mayor about traffic jams, Chinese politics was evolving in the right direction

Before going home, we flew to Guilin for a meeting with environmentalists concerned about the destruction of forests and the loss of unique wildlife, and a leisurely boat trip down the Li River, which flows through a stunning landscape marked by large limestone formations that looked as if they had burst up through the landscape of the gentle countrysideAfter Guilin, we made a stop in Hong Kong to see Tung Chee-hwa, the chief executive chosen by the Chinese after the British leftAn intelligent, sophisticated man who had lived in America for several years, Tung had his hands full balancing the boisterous Hong Kong political culture with the much more conformist Chinese central governmentI also met again with democracy advocate Martin LeeThe Chinese had promised to let Hong Kong keep its much more democratic political system, but I had the clear impression that the details of their reunion were still being worked out, and that neither side was fully satisfied with the present state of affairs

In mid-July, Al Gore and I held an replicas bolsas event at the National Academy of Sciences to highlight our administrations efforts to avoid computer meltdowns at the dawn of the new millenniumThere was widespread concern that many computer systems would not make the change to the year 2000, which would cause havoc in the economy and disrupt the affairs of millions of AmericansWe organized an exhaustive effort led by John Koskinen to make sure all government systems were ready for the new millennium and to help the private sector make the adjustmentWe wouldnt know for sure whether we had been successful until the date arrived

On the sixteenth, I signed another of my priorities into law, the Child Support Performance and Incentive ActWe had already increased collections 68 percent since 1992; 1 million more families were now receiving child supportThis bill penalized states that did not automate their child-support files and gave financial rewards to those that were successful in meeting performance goals

Around this time I announced the purchase of eighty billion bushels of wheat for distribution to poor nations with food shortagesGrain prices were down, and the purchase would both meet a humanitarian need and raise the price of wheat as much as thirteen cents a bushel for hard-pressed farmersBecause a severe heat wave was destroying crops in parts of the country, I also asked Congress to pass an emergency farm aid package

Toward the end of the month, Mike McCurry announced that he would resign as White House press secretary in the fall, and I named his deputy, Joe Lockhart, who had served as press secretary for my chanel quilted handbag reelection campaign, to succeed himMcCurry had done a fine job in a demanding position, answering tough questions, explaining the administrations policies with clarity and a quick wit, and working long hours with around-the-clock availabilityHe wanted to see his kids grow upI liked Joe Lockhart a lot, and the press seemed to like him, tooBesides, he liked to play cards with me; we would have a smooth transition

In July, as I continued to push my agenda at home, Dick Holbrooke flew to Belgrade to see Milosevic in an attempt to resolve the Kosovo crisis; Prime Minister Hashimoto resigned after election losses in Japan; Nelson Mandela got married to Graa Machel, the lovely widow of a former president of Mozambique and a leading figure in the struggle to stop the use of children in Africas wars; and Ken Starr continued to build his case against me

He insisted on taking the testimony of several of my Secret Service agents, including Larry Cockell, the head of my detailThe Secret Service had resisted this, and former President Bush had written two letters opposing itExcept when the President is on the residence floor of the White House, the Secret Service is always with him or just outside the door of whatever room he is inPresidents depend on the Secret Service to protect them, and to protect their confidencesThe agents overhear all kinds of conversations involving national security, domestic policy, political conflicts, and personal strugglesTheir dedication, professionalism, and discretion had served Presidents of both parties and the nation wellNow Starr was willing to put cambon chanel all that at riskto investigate not espionage, or Watergate-like abuses of the FBI, or Iran-Contralike willful defiance of the law, but whether I had given false answers and encouraged Monica Lewinsky to do the same in response to questions asked in bad faith, in a case that had been thrown out of court because it had no merit in the first place

By the end of the month, Starr had granted Monica Lewinsky immunity from prosecution in return for her testimony before the grand jury, and had subpoenaed me to testify as wellOn the twenty-ninth, I agreed to testify voluntarily and the subpoena was withdrawnI cant say I was looking forward to it

Early in August, I met with ten Indian tribal leaders in Washington to announce a comprehensive effort to increase educational, health care, and economic opportunities for Native AmericansMy assistant for intergovernmental affairs, Mickey Ibarra, and Lynn Cutler, my liaison to the tribes, had worked hard on the initiative and it was sorely neededAlthough the United States was enjoying its lowest unemployment rate in twenty-eight years, the lowest crime rate in twenty-five years, and the smallest percentage of our citizens on welfare in twenty-nine years, Native American communities that had not grown wealthy from gambling operations were still in bad shapeFewer than 10 percent of Native Americans went to college, they were three times more likely to suffer from diabetes as white Americans, and they still had the lowest per capita income of any American ethnic groupSome of the tribal communities had unemployment rates in excess of 50 old omega watches perc