Miles to go

From Beijing, Washington Post reporter Keith Richburg observed: "The BBC television report was airing a clip from Wednesday's Obama-Hu news conference at the White House, on the touchy topic of human rights. 'A lot still needs to be done . . .' Chinese President Hu Jintao started to say. And then the television report went black." Those of us watching in the West heard the complete sentence: "And a lot still needs to be done in China, in terms of human rights." Chinese President Hu Jintao also admitted that his country still faced "challenges" in social development. It was a rare but hopeful concession. It's a shame that the humans whose rights were being discussed never heard the message. To paraphrase Robert Frost, the Chinese people still have miles to go before they can sleep.