Wenyi Wang stood up… Mr. Bush?

President Bush likes to say that when the oppressed peoples of the world stand up for their inalienable rights, America will stand with them. We are the nation that saved liberty in Europe, and liberated death camps, and helped raise up democracies, and faced down an evil empire. Once again, we accept the call of history ...

President Bush likes to say that when the oppressed peoples of the world stand up for their inalienable rights, America will stand with them.

President Bush likes to say that when the oppressed peoples of the world stand up for their inalienable rights, America will stand with them.

We are the nation that saved liberty in Europe, and liberated death camps, and helped raise up democracies, and faced down an evil empire. Once again, we accept the call of history to deliver the oppressed and move this world toward peace." — State of the Union Address, 2006

Tell Wenyi Wang that. She's the medical doctor and woman who stood up to China's Communist leader, Hu Jintao, on the South Lawn of the White House yesterday. But rather than stand with her, Mr. Bush's first order of business was to beg Hu's forgiveness. Protocol, of course, is protocol. And we dare not jeopardize a trade deal or two. So we apologize for free speech. But it's revealing that even the corporate-minded Investor's Business Daily ran an op-ed praising Wang's braveness.

For me, the most disappointing part of the Wang episode is not that she was hauled off by the Secret Service. It's that a photojournalist on the press risers (presumably a fellow American) tried to silence Wang before the Secret Service got there by putting a hand over her mouth. Journalists of all people ought to know a thing or two about freedom of speech and questioning power. Wenyi Wang stood up to power yesterday, and not even a journalist would stand with her. That's a sad comment indeed on the state of the media.

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.