I’d almost hate to know to what degree the Red Chinese bankrolled the Clinton Administration, and what trade, technological, and military secrets were sold into the hands of that government in return for their continued propping up of our nation’s economy.

Made in China

But between Hillary’s stated calls to see restraint in the Chinese suppression of (supposed terrorists in) Tibet, and for President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, don’t quite line up with Bill Clinton and his charity foundation receiving vast sums of donations from Alibaba.com, the Red Chinese e-commerce giant that took over Yahoo! China’s operations a few years ago, as noted by the LA Times. (h/t to Don Surber)

One might be lead to suspect that there is something fundamentally amiss with the Red Chinese culture - one that has shifted from the utilitarian, wasteful, and often brutal excesses of the Maoist Era to Hu Jintao’s plutocracy of both party and state-approved- but-not-owned business elites who are nurturing the giant dragon’s rise to superpower.

One watches with a growing sense of concern as she regained her former territory once held for many centuries by the Portuguese (Macao) and the British (Hong Kong) and wonders if it is only a matter of time before Taiwan and perhaps Singapore fall into the Dragon’s orbit.

And it is not altogether improbable that at some point in the near future, possibly around 2012, when the wartime command of South Korea’s military forces transition back completely to that Republic, that the US withdraw from Korea, and possibly Japan as well, should Japan decide that it is in her best interests to further build up its Self-Defense Forces or upgrade the organization outright to a full-powered military able to wage war as a matter of political policy, should the much-discussed Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution be repealed or replaced. Mind you, this may not be an absolutely bad thing for us, but considering that South Korea has volatile relations with Japan and lesser so with its kindred in the North and in China, it is not impossible that South Korea might fall into Chinese orbit as well.

Indeed, some thinkers might posit the rise of the New Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, but as “rightfully” lead by the Middle Kingdom, once again asserting its medieval hegemony in the region, if not to outright push and contain a weakened and crippled America back to its coastlines (perhaps with the help of Russia and perhaps India) - the rise of the Shanghai Co-Operation Organization, or more glibly, the “Shanghai Pact” may portend such many dark omens for the West.

What is the problem with China? Is it her desire to regain lost majesty of millennia past? Or is it more down to earth, in the acquisition of financial and commercial power? How is it then, that a government once known for its ruthless adherence to central planning has now gone on to make a curious blend of socialism and strong, centralized power, but almost contradicting its founding Marxist principles by building up a strong capitalist class - most of whom, of course, are dedicated members of the Party?

There must be a sort of a kindred spirit between the Clintons and the Red Chinese: both are willing to say any thing, do any deceptive thing, and pass off inferior or even dangerous products to those unwise or foolhardy enough to trust them.

Whether it is trafficking in industrial and military secrets, or lying out of one side of one’s mouth and making rosy speeches out of the other, or while shaking your hand with a slightly condescending sneer while beating down on dissidents with an iron rod — hopefully while you are not looking or are distracted by some other seemingly important event — it is becoming very difficult to trust either of them.

Ed. note: When I speak here of Chinese, I am referring to the current communist government of the People’s Republic of China, and not any individual or groups of Chinese people.