


Leadership split
Despite the outward appearance of tranquility, China is in the midst of a power struggle between the old and new regimes. The leadership, we are told, is divided between a faction led by President Hu Jintao and a faction led by former President Jiang Zemin, who still controls the Chinese military as chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Mr. Jiang is viewed as a hard-liner, especially on the Republic of China (Taiwan), and is continuing to pull strings within Mr. Hu’s regime through Vice President Zeng Qinghong, who is considered a Jiang loyalist. Mr. Zeng wields vast authority within the ruling Communist Party dictatorship and is thought to covet Mr. Hu’s posts of party chairman and president. Both men have been in power since March 2003.
The leadership split has worried U.S. defense and intelligence officials because of growing tensions over Taiwan. China’s government has stepped up rhetoric against Taiwan in recent months after the re-election of Taiwanese leader Chen Shui-bian.
A major danger is the period leading up to the May 20 inauguration of Mr. Chen, when U.S. officials think that China might engage in some kind of provocation, such as large-scale military exercises or missile tests.
The fear is that with rivals vying for power in Beijing, Chinese leaders might lack flexibility within the inner councils of the Communist Party. That, in turn, could lead to miscalculation that could lead to military action.
Power shift
Rep. C.W. Bill Young, the patient and cordial chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, is term-limited after the 2004 election. But that does not mean that party rules — which limit chairmen to six-year terms — will keep him from wielding the gavel.
Republican sources say Mr. Young, Florida Republican, intends to resume the chairmanship of the Appropriations subcommittee on defense, a post he held before becoming committee chief. Defense issues are close to Mr. Young’s heart. He has served on the defense panel for nearly 25 years.
The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Jerry Lewis, California Republican, is term-limited, too. He is expected to make a bid to succeed Mr. Young.
No show
Some wondered why Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld did not testify this week on Iraq during twin hearings by Congress’ Armed Services committees. Mr. Rumsfeld has made no secret of his dislike for congressional micromanaging and demands on his people’s time.
But in this case, it was protocol that dictated the witnesses. The committees wanted to hear from the State Department, as well as the Pentagon. The State Department wanted to send an undersecretary, thus protocol called for sending a more senior defense official — but not the most senior — to sit before the committees with jurisdiction over the Pentagon. So Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was the pick.
View Entire StoryBy H. Leighton Steward
Fantasy replaces reality in Obama's green economy

By Associated Press
A senior Iranian intelligence official says an estimated 16,000 computers were infected by the Stuxnet ...

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times
A 29-year-old Moroccan man was arrested Friday on accusations he planned to detonate a suicide ...

By David Hill - The Washington Times
The House voted Friday night to approve Gov. Martin O’Malley’s same-sex marriage bill, sending the ...
Independent voices from the TWT Communities

A collection of Entertainment News and Reviews from Washington, D.C. to the beyond

Not your typical discussion, writer Conor Murphy writes about the cons, and pros, of politics

Children around the globe are too often silent. From victims of abuse - physical, mental, and sexual to those whose lives embrace joy, their stories are many and need to be heard.