First, a confession: I was inspired to write this commentary primarily so I could use the headline. Back in my Port Folio days, I used to do this a lot. On occasion, I’d even run an interoffice context called “headlines in search of a story.”

The truth is, though, it’s quite appropriate. As I read the November 17 New York Times report on President Obama’s visit, it certainly seemed as if President Hu Jintao had the upper hand. In case you missed it, here’s the lead from the Times article:

“Whether by White House design or Chinese insistence, President Obama has steered clear of public meetings with Chinese liberals, free press advocates and even ordinary Chinese during his first visit to China, showing a deference to the Chinese leadership’s aversions to such interactions that is unusual for a visiting American president.”

The man who showed promise of being our most liberal president since Jimmy Carter, if not F.D.R., is less inclined than his predecessors to stand up for civil rights in one of the most oppressive regimes in history.

Chalk this up to another in a series of disappointments. I’m beginning to think my some of my anti-Obama friends like D.D. Delaney were right when they argued that Obama is a product of the Democratic Party machine, which is focused on mere survival rather than the goal of meaningful change at home and abroad.

- Tom Robotham