Presidential Policy: If you're right on China, you're wrong on something else.

There appears to be a loose correlation between good China policy and being a bad president.

The most forward thinking policy of all was implemented by Nixon, the guy who tapped the phones of the opposition and even had his cronies burglarize the Democratic National Convention office in order to win reelection. Nixon was the first president to visit modern China. He broke through a policy of rapprochement, an easing of hostilities and growth of political, economic, and cultural ties, which was continued though his lame successors, Ford, Carter, and Regan.

Then after the Tiananmen Square protest in 1989 the US imposed economic sanctions and moral censure which precluded a warm relationship through the prosperous Clinton years.

Recently George W. Bush’s policy toward China has returned to rapprochement which among most other 911 foreign policy, is surprisingly enlightened. He even went to the Olympics; a simple gesture which meant a lot to the Chinese. The United States and China are closer today than any time since 1949, which is good for the global economy, good for Chinese, good for Americans, and anyone who fears the prospects of a third World War. Coming in around 25 percent, with the second lowest approval rating since Gallup, W. Bush is leaving the office to a new candidate in January.

What’s Obama’s view of China? “…China is rising, and it’s not going away. They’re neither our enemy nor our friend. They’re competitors. But we have to make sure that we have enough military-to-military contact and forge enough of a relationship with them that we can stabilize the region.” Low hopes for the Sino-American relationship; Obama will make a great president.

John McCain on the other hand, the hawkish president who is more likely to continue a heavy-handed American foreign policy around the world, said explicitly in the debates he does not think we should think of China as our competitor. A wise view. What a terrible president he'll make.