President Obama, addressing 500 Chinese students, announced that he is against censorship, and personally welcomes criticism. It strengthens democracy.

Well, good to know.

Game on, then.

He can expect us here to continue strengthening democracy.

Irony the First: The President had the question planted, since no one in the audience was brave enough to ask anything like that when government minders were near.

Irony the Second: The President’s comments were censored by the Chinese government. Whattaya expect when the security-minded Chinese name their official broadcast service CCTV?

Initially the Czar was encouraged by news that the President pushed the Chinese into a corner on the subject of freedom of speech. About time. Until of course the President stepped in it—and skidded a few feet—with this beauty:

“It’s very important for the US not to assume what is good for us is good for you.”

The Czar thinks it is more important for the US to stop making other assumptions first.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.