Most of the content of this site is geared toward red-in-the-face arguments about politics or red-in-the-face bouts of testing new types of liquor that the writers here have found (I had a great new boubon a few weeks ago that a fellow writer and I found in a Dupont Circle wine shop, and can’t remember the name - more later), but we are going to switch it up a bit today and make sure that anyone who reads our site remembers some of the things that really matter - life, love, hope, faith and second chances just to name a few.

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That’s right, FRANCE. French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, as part of a visit to work on trade pacts and exchange rates publicly called on China to reduce its global warming footprint,

Sarkozy challenged China to play its part in tackling the problem of global warming after repeatedly urging Beijing to play its full part as a global power.

“I am proposing that China joins a new global pact, an ecological and economic New Deal,” he told students in Beijing.

So, this is what foreign policy leadership looks like. Using leverage, public discourse, and not being afraid to make some world leaders uncomfortable for goals that will benefit everyone. He even brought up human rights abuses in a face-to-face with President Hu Jintao (granted he didn’t bring along his human rights minister, but still, this is leadership).

What would happen if a country as powerful as… oh I don’t know… the U.S.(!!!) called on China to do their part to address global warming and seriously engaged them in their continual human rights abuse? I doubt we’ll find out until at least 2009… sigh.