Didn't know you were so buddy-buddy with China -- or is that read wrong?

Bush probably has China in the "against us, therefore with the terrorists" category, so I doubt it will happen.

Not terrorist. China is currently fighting their own War on Terror in their western frontiers (a little Middle East overlap along China's porous borders). Our fight with China involves human rights. Remember?

I mean, is it your contention that any nation that supports a domestic space program should therefore be able to anex themselves out to other nations for celebration, regardless of the motherland’s political leaning? Well, and sadly, the real world doesn't work like the Olympics. That would mean debriefing far too many people about the evils of freedom. In the real world, every population is as bad as its government -- always.

Personally, I am happy they managed to use our technology well enough not to kill their astronaut, and I do wish them well in their continued manned-presence in space, but I think that if they really want a Wall Street ticker-tape style parade, they can have it in the financial districts of Hong Kong.

Dan