By Steve Clemons

Will write more soon. Off to Hong Kong today.

There has been a ton of interest among the people I have met in China over the last ten days in the US presidential elections.

One of my good friends in Dem foreign policy circles is Rand Beers. He constantly makes sense to me and seems (thus far) immune from some of the insecurities I often see among Dems who are trying to posture on defense and security issues.

Former Senator Jesse Helms may have died today in a mortal sense — but the brand of pugnacious nationalism that he seeded in America’s contemporary politics lives on in his former legal adviser John Bolton, Dick Cheney and others. We will be battling Helms as an ideological force for decades to come.

I’ve had a tough time getting on the internet the last couple of days here in Guilin, China — but eureka! It worked this morning. I’m told that Brian Beutler, who was shot three times in a mugging the other morning, is making good progress.

Apologies to some TWN readers who wanted to meet in Beijing. Unfortunately, I was able to meet one group that was pre-organized by someone but my schedule was extremely packed except early mornings. Now off to Guilin where I’m pretty sure there are no readers — but then Xian, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

Liberal writer, blogger, activist Brian Beutler was shot this morning in my neighborhood near 17th and Euclid Streets NW in Washington, DC. He was shot three times in a botched robbery attempt.

China’s been out of the game for a few hundred years, but it’s back. The Chinese themselves believe that their collective ascendancy is fragile and fraught with problems — particularly environmental degradation associated with growth. The smog in Beijing really stings the unconditioned eyeball.

I’m glad Barack Obama’s campaign has stated that it is giving up the morphed Obama/Presidential Seal podium sign. I didn’t like it. But Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars had an excellent retort on presidential seal hubris. See above graphic and the link to her piece.

About to board the direct flight from Dulles to Beijing. Look forward to catching up with TWN readers there. But a great friend of mine who works for the State Department in Vienna sent me this clip that will make any travelers, or wannabe globe-trotters, smile. More soon.