Divided Congress Could Embarrass Obama During Hu’s Visit

High-ranking legislators shunned the first U.S. state dinner with China in 13 years Wednesday night.

Whatever happened to not fighting in front of the guests? With Obama rolling out the red carpet for visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, the U.S. president faces a couple of nail-biting hours today when Hu meets privately with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner. Neither Reid nor Boehner attended the state dinner for the Chinese delegation last night, and Reid called Hu a “dictator” in a Tuesday television interview. Obama is determined to improve relations with an ascendant China, but critics charge that the country’s communist regime has a dismal human rights record and caution that the Chinese are seeking to dislodge the U.S. as the world’s dominant power.