McCain Meets with the Dalai Lama
DENVER–
While Barack Obama meets with European leaders in Germany, France, and London, John McCain met with a spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The meeting was private, but the presumptive Republican nominee said they spoke of the exiled spiritual leader’s desire, “for reconciliation with the Chinese and the Chinese people.” The two walked out of the discussion clasping hands, but took no questions from the press.
McCain urged the Chinese government to negotiate with the Dalai Lama and to release Tibetan political prisoners held by China against their will, “I urge the Chinese leaders to engage in talks and make progress with his Holiness’ representatives in addressing the just grievances of the Tibetan people. I urge the Chinese government to release Tibetan political prisoners, account for Tibetans that have quote disappeared since the protests in March and engage in meaningful dialogue and genuine autonomy for Tibet.”
The Arizona Republican met with the Dalai Lama in Aspen while the religious leader was there for a three-day symposium of Tibetan culture. McCain said next month’s Olympic Games in Beijing would be a good time for those negotiations and called on the United States to express their concern for China’s poor human rights record:
“The Olympics next month should be a time for China to demonstrate to the world that it’s committed to respecting the basic human rights of its people,” McCain said, “The United States welcomes good relations with China, but it does no service to the Chinese government and certainly no service to the people of China for the United States and other Democracies to pretend that the suppression of rights in China does not concern us. It does, will and must concern us. “
The Dalai Lama called McCain an “old friend” who had genuine concern for Tibet. But, according to John Ackerly, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, McCain and the Dalai Lama have never met before. The two have spoken by phone something Ackerly said is not a regular occurrence for the Dalai Lama. McCain requested the meeting months ago and they were able to schedule it today.
“Now, this time my visit is non-political. Meanwhile, my old friend one of the candidates for president of this great country,” the Dalai Lama said, “And he showing genuine concern about the democracy and human rights and religious freedom and environmental issues in China in general and particularly in Tibet’s case.”
The Republican nominee-in-waiting made it clear that it was not an endorsement by the spiritual leader adding, “our prayers are with you and the people of Tibet.” Ackerly said the Dalai Lama would present McCain with a white silk scarf, a sign of hospitality and respect.
Tags: barack obama, Dalai Lama, John Ackerly, john mccain
Share
Dear Dalai Lama
I’d like you to know that I will be praying for you and the people of Tibet. My hope for you and the people of Tibet, is for a future of peace and to have the blessings of freedom as you and Tibetans deserve. I hope to have the opportunity to meet you too some day, and you will always be welcomed to my home. I was blessed as I saw you on the news today with Mr McCain, thank you for choosing him as a friend. I know many more Americans will be praying for you too.
Truly
P. A.
Well,unlike McW, the Dali Lama is a peacemaker.
DALAI LAMA’S SECULAR COMMISSION
The Dalai Lama has a critical mission to fulfill….
http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/04/dalai-lamas-secular-commission.html
…. before the Olympics if at all possible.
Like who cares what McCain does. Is this the best the GOP has to offer?
I think this is good for McCain… http://www.enewsreference.com
I don’t think Mccain really cares one bit about Tibet. Well maybe he wants to bomb China. That’s about all Mccain will do if for some reason if he gets elected. It’s time to stand up for this country and not vote for the same old style secretive politics. Mccain wants to ship jobs overseas, he wants to lower taxes for the highest income earners. He doesn’t care about the middle class. Obama will give the middle class a significant tax cut. Obama will fix the energy crisis with his energy plan. Obama is the right choice for America.
Interesting that while Obama is tied up in one phoney photo op after another with losers who just want him to go away, McCain is in pivate conversations with a genuine leader of his people.
The followers of the Dalai Lama number in the millions and are scattered across much of asia. This gentle, well spoken man is the exact opposite of Obama’s Rev Wright.
10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don’t):
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has “evolved,” yet he’s continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.”2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”4
5. The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill.5
6. He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations.6
7. Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”7
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, believes America’s founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a “false religion.” McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church “the Antichrist” and a “false cult.”9
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out—forward this email to your personal network.
By invoking the Dalai Lama shows how pathetic McCain has become. McCain in the eyes of much of the world is an “old man” lost on reality. Now he even add to his ignorance about China and Tibet issues, by discrediting himself to billions around the world on his foreign policy credentials. Americans can vote McCain for a worse global future for all. I am convinced now how hypocritical McCain s about war and peace. His shallowness on understanding on China is even worse than Bush.
meets with dalai lama
meets with richard simmons
meets with jerry seinfeld
meets with heidi montag
meets with herman munster
meets with jerry springer
meets with oprah
I was hoping to see a article on sen mccain agreement to a 16 month withdrawal of the troops. Sen mccain said romeny was wrong for that stands and the media responed hard to the comment.
I’m intrigued by the use of the term “clasping hands.” From the photos it sure seems like they were “holding hands.”
Are the Republicans going to launch a “bad judgement and experience” campaign against the Dalai Lama for calling McCain his “old” friend?
Oh great, now all the neocons are going to be mad when they find out the Dalai Lama is not a compassionate conservative.
Oh WOW! McCain meets Dalai Lama! He has my vote now!
I am certain that meeting with the Dalai Lama will sway Conservatives to John McCain…………
McCain needs to get a new campaign manager fast before America gets stuck with Obama. The Republican Party needs an attitude adjustment and some new vision. The democrats fumbled the ball big time this year when they didn’t nominate Hillary and the Republicans don’t even have the sense and fortitude to intercept and gain the advantage. If McCain puts another samo, samo white middle-aged man on the ticket with him, the election is over. This whole election year has been so sad for Americans.
Who cares about McCain, but the Old, Racist and clueless people. Obama is going to the next US President in 2008 so get with people!
Can the Dalai Lama Drill for oil? if not, I’m not interested in what they have to say.
Alex,
Thanks for pointing that out and the list can go on. However most republicans or Obam haters judgment him so hard they fail to open there mind to do some research about the candidate they are supporting.
While Obama is out on the world stage rubbing elbows with world leaders, McCain is holding hands with the Dalai Lama. What a joke!
Obama is a liar and a hippocrite!! He could learn a lot from McCain if he wasn’t so full of himself. His energy plan zerObama tries to come across as someone who cares about our troops, yet he doesn’t want them to come home! He just wants to reshuffle some of them to Afghanistan, and use the rest to open up a new war front and invade Pakistan!! He will raise taxes across the board for everyone - INCLUDING THE MIDDLE CLASS!!! Basically, everyone who owns a home. If you think the foreclosure issue is a problem now, just wait and see what would happen if Americans are stupid enough to elect him - with increased taxes on homeowners, there will be even more foreclosures!! What is his plan then??!! As for his energy plan, not much there eh? We have the opportunity to increase our petroleum supply and drastically lower oil and gas prices, while we develop new technology to lower our depence on oil altogether… but he is against that! Oh yeah, he wants to tax the proffits of oil companies…. that’s his brilliant idea. Obviously they weren’t kidding when they said he was too inexperienced and naive to even run a convenience store - let alone a country. Anyone who knows anything about either economics or business knows that as soon as he did that, the oil companies would just raise their prices to make up for the decreased margin. That way gas prices at the pump would go up even higher! Hmmm… he isn’t smart enought to think that through, he’s only good at mindless one word slogans like “change”. Here are some other one word slogan’s he can use: “idiot”, “mindless”, “inexperienced”, “naive”, “biggot”, “liar”, etc… the list goes on!
Show everyone that you are not a mindless idiot who is so easily swayed by Madison Ave advertising campaigns. Show that you can actually think on your own!! Don’t vote for zerObama - he’s not qualified to be anything more than a janitor! (no offense to janitors of course!)
I’m a MaCain fan, I would rather see someone who served in our nation to win.. Instead of someone who everytime open’s his mouth is a lie!!!
The democratic plan is to make the American people ‘hurt’ and ‘bleed’ as much as they can , in order to make their current empty promise of ‘change’ appear to be the only way to survive…
This is NO way to lead a nation, tell them!
When I heard McCain was meeting with the Dalai Lama it made me think of what the Dalai Lama told Bill Murrey in Caddy Shack, ” Gunga Gulunga”. So I guess John McCain has that going for him, which is nice.
Warm RESPECT FOR THE DALAI LAMA He and his people had to leave their land due to the invasion
of China. Tibet is a cultured society very different from China.The Dalai Lama preaches peace and humanity. He is someone we can all take lesson from.
D.Gaines
[...] comments come less than a week after he met with the Dalai Lama and received some backlash from the [...]