MRS. CLINTON VS. CHINA

Although she never mentioned China directly, Hillary Clinton left little doubt that she was chastising her hosts in Beijing in her address today at the U.N.'s Fourth World Conference on Women. "Freedom means the right of people to assemble, organize and debate openly," she said. "It means not taking citizens away from their loved ones and jailing them, mistreating them, or denying them their freedom or dignity because of the peaceful expression of their ideas and opinions." (In a warm-up speech to a smaller group earlier today, the First Lady also attacked nations, notably China, that require abortions and sterilizations for population control.) "This was a very carefully calibrated speech," reports Beijing bureau chief Jaime FlorCruz. "Although it is a fairly strong attack, she made sure to mention abuses against women that happen in other countries, such as India, as well."