In what would be the first speech to a joint session of Congress by a communist president, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is pressing the White House to clear the way for him to address lawmakers in the House chamber during his state visit in September.
Diplomatic sources said Xi is eager to make his case for expanded trade and his country’s role in international affairs. He also believes that his country deserves star billing as it emerges as a world economic superpower.
He also feels the speech is deserved because Japan’s prime minister spoke to a joint session last month.
The request could result in a political struggle, and it appears the White House is not eager to pressure House Speaker John Boehner to make the invitation. Congressional conservatives are wary of China and Beijing’s ever-expanding military and economic policies.
“This is serious politics,” said one source following the issue.
It also could rekindle the animosity between Boehner and the White House over the speaker’s recent invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress over objections from President Obama.
In that case, Boehner was slapped by the White House for breaching protocol by not clearing the invitation with the White House first. In this case, however, the White House seems to be shifting responsibility to Boehner, who has been critical of Chinese monetary and environmental policies.
The Japanese news service Nikkei reported that the request from China was made to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew during a recent visit to Beijing and that he said it was up to Congress to extend an invitation.
SHE’S BACK: HILLARY THE ‘NUTCRACKER’
It was called everything from sexist to genius when she ran for president in 2008, and now as Hillary Clinton makes her second try to become the first female president, the “Hillary Nutcracker” is being spruced up and re-issued.
“It’s good to be a nutcracker,” developer Gibson Carothers told the Washington Examiner. “This is going to be fun.”
The new version shows Clinton in a pink blazer and black pants. Her thighs sport stainless steel teeth that crack nuts when the legs are squeezed together.
More than 20,000 of the 2008 version were sold, and some are still on eBay and other sites for over $60.
Carothers said the nutcrackers will begin shipping soon and that a website, Hillarynutcracker.com, will be up and running this week.
And he’s promising to face the tough questions about his product, which has offended some. In a reference to Clinton’s avoidance of the media, he said, “We won’t be dodging the press.” He added, “It’s crunch time, America.”
TENNESSEE TWOSOME SHUN SENATE RIVALRIES
He’s been gone 30 years from the U.S. Senate, where he served as majority leader, but the tradition of honor and cooperation set by the late Howard Baker continues to govern Tennessee’s two Republican senators.
First it was picked up by Sen. Lamar Alexander, a former Baker aide. And now Sen. Bob Corker says he also plays by the same rules.
“It’s beneficial in our state to have two people who don’t compete with each other in any way. Two people who wish only the very best for the other. Two people who celebrate the success of the other. Two people who are very different and who have very different backgrounds and have focused on very different sets of issues and candidly follow each other’s lead,” Corker told the Examiner.
When he decided to run for the Senate, Corker said he sought out Alexander’s advice — and got it.
“It’s a great relationship. It’s rare. I mean, you watch in the Senate and you know sometimes people of the same party have more rivalries than you can imagine, and that’s certainly not the case for us,” Corker said.
For proof, Alexander recently wrote the Time Magazine entry naming Corker one of the nation’s “Top 100 Most Influential People.” Alexander, a former Cabinet secretary and presidential candidate wrote, “If he is not president himself, Corker is an obvious choice for secretary of state or treasury.”
Of their mutual admiration, Corker said, “I think it serves our state well.”
QUOTE
“What is the simple reality is anyone who is running for president, you have to be out campaigning in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina. You’ve gotta be listening to the people, you’ve gotta be out meeting the people, hearing their questions.”
Republican presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, dismissing charges he is missing too much time in the Senate during a Fox interview
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
