Barack Obama sends letter to the Dalai Lama

Sen. John McCain's decision to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is on a speaking tour of the United States, surprised many pundits.

Republicans tend to be closer to China than Democrats, especially on issues of trade. And for that reason, China often publicly endorses Republican candidates for the U.S. presidency. This trade relationship tends to supersede any concern for human rights in the fast-growing Asian nation.

It may be that he wanted to appear as tougher on China than previous Republican administrations, and McCain was one of the first people to say he would boycott the Olympic Opening Ceremonies to protest the harsh crackdown on Tibetan dissidents.

Sen. Obama also has said that he would boycott the opening ceremonies and today he had a letter delivered by Ambassador Jeffrey Bader to the Dalai Lama.