Obama's day: Dealing with China,

Good morning from The Oval. On this day in
1955, President Dwight Eisenhower first agreed to
something that is now essential to White House
life: A news conference filmed for television.
It's a day of high level diplomacy for President
Obama, as he summits with President Hu Jintao
of China. After Vice President Joe Biden greeted
Hu at the airport yesterday, the Chinese president
and Obama held a small private dinner at the

White House. Today, it's down to work.
After a more formal welcoming ceremony this
morning at the White House, Obama, Hu and
their aides hold a series of meetings. Among the
topics: Human rights in China, improved trade,
the value of Chinese currency, and the primacy of
the U.S. dollar.
During the lunch hour, the presidents host a
meeting of U.S. and Chinese business leaders.
The American delegation includes Steve Ballmer
of Microsoft, Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs,
and Jeff Immelt of General Electric.
After that, Obama and Hu take four questions at a
news conference.
The Chinese visit wraps up tonight with more
pomp, a formal state dinner honoring Hu. Each
president will deliver toasts.
In other news:
The Hu visit takes place a day before the second
anniversary of Obama's term, and USA TODAY
asks a simple question: "Who Is Barack Obama?"
A pragmatic streak makes it a hard question to
answer.
Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the 2000 vice
presidential nominee and a Democrat-turned-
independent, announces today he will not seek
re-election in 2012, reports Fredreka Schouten of
USA TODAY.
The great re-debate of the Obama health care bill
is on in the House, writes Kelly Kennedy of USA
TODAY.
A store video apparently caught Jared Loughner's
shooting rampage in Arizona.
Sargent Shriver, Kennedy in-law and first Peace
Corps director, rest in peace.
And our colleague Joan Biskupic reports that the
Supreme Court is pondering a case on "state
secrets."
We of course have no secrets here at The Oval,
so check in with us throughout the day on the
China meetings as well as other White House
happenings. And thanks for reading.


Source: Http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/01/obamas-day-dealing-with-china/1