For supporters of engagement, 428-0 is a scary number. But TIME congressional correspondent John Dickerson says this issue has its own set of checks and balances: the business lobby. "Republicans are eager to get restrictions passed to show theyre doing something the President wouldnt -- but theyre not too eager," he says. "Its not just Silicon Valley but all of the business community thats worried about getting kept out of China, and theyre putting plenty of pressure on Republicans not to go too far." Likely scenario: More restrictions roll through the House and Senate in coming weeks -- and then quietly roll back when the heats off. "Theyll toughen restrictions, and then loosen them later," says Dickerson, "just like theyve done before."
Spy Scandal, Round One: Cox 428, China 0
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"The Congress must be strong where the President has been weak," Tom DeLay snarled after the House of Representatives voted 428-0 to adopt a sheaf of the Cox reports recommendations on keeping U.S. secrets out of the Chinese military. Most of the prescriptions passed today -- as an amendment to a $288 billion defense authorization bill -- were no-brainers, centered on tightening security at the countrys nuclear labs. But when GOPer Rep. Curt Weldon declares, "This amendment is not the end, it is just the beginning," some Democrats are worried that the rush to get tough on China will wind up steamrolling some legitimate -- and lucrative -- technology sales to the worlds largest emerging market.