Obama Meets Dalai Lama At White House

President Obama yesterday met at the White House with the Dalai Lama. A statement (full text) by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs after the meeting said:

The President stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China. The President commended the Dalai Lama's "Middle Way" approach, his commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government.

Wednesday's Washington Post outlined the careful balancing act Obama is carrying out in setting up a meeting in a way that honors the Tibetan leader without enraging the Chinese excessively. For example, the meeting took place in the Map Room rather than the Oval Office.