What makes him think this will work?

President Obama has decided that he has not kow-towed to China enough. In order to rectify this omission he is postponing the Dalai Lama's visit to the White House.

In an attempt to gain favor with China, the United States pressured Tibetan representatives to postpone a meeting between the Dalai Lama and President Obama until after Obama's summit with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, scheduled for next month, according to diplomats, government officials and other sources familiar with the talks.

For the first time since 1991, the Tibetan spiritual leader will visit Washington this week and not meet with the president. Since 1991, he has been here 10 times. Most times the meetings have been "drop-in" visits at the White House. The last time he was here, in 2007, however, George W. Bush became the first sitting president to meet with him publicly, at a ceremony at the Capitol in which he awarded the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress's highest civilian award.

The U.S. decision to postpone the meeting appears to be part of a strategy to improve ties with China that also includes soft-pedaling criticism of China's human rights and financial policies as well as backing efforts to elevate China's position in international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund. Obama administration officials have termed the new policy "strategic reassurance," which entails the U.S. government taking steps to convince China that it is not out to contain the emerging Asian power.

As it happens, China did absolutely nothing when successive American presidents met the Dalai Lama signifying their support for him and the people of Tibet as well as their interest in freedom and human rights.

Apart from making it clear that this Administration does not care about either of those concepts and will bow and scrape to any corrupt and tyrannical entity, what do President Obama and his advisers hope to achieve? Do they really believe that anybody respects those who display not principles at all? Why don't they ask the IOC?