President To Attend Presentation of Congressional Medal To Dalai Lama

Next Wednesday, members of Congress will hold a Capitol Hill ceremony at which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will award the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal that was authorized last year. AFP reports that President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush will attend the ceremony, even though this will anger the government of China that considers the award an interference in China's internal affairs. It views the Dalia Lama as a political exile who wants independence for Tibet. This will be the first time that a sitting U.S. President has appeared at a public event with the 72-year old Buddhist spiritual leader.