Bipartisanship lives in the Village Infested With Domestic Adventurers -- at least when it comes to junketeering

"Whether it's on the agenda or not," says

our pal Al, "you should see the Wall."

by Ken

Our WaPo "In the Loop" pal Al Kamen can hardly contain his excitement. "Have we got a China junket for you," today's column headline blares. The only hitch is that to qualify for the "seat or two left" for the "excellent 12-day trip" to China leaving March 30, "you" would have to be a congressional staffer.

The good news is that the Group of Ten is to be bipartisan, though there's no indication as to how exactly the ten slots for travelers are to be split between parties. I mean, is it an even 5-5 split? Or is it like negotiating the party ratios on congressional committees when a new Congress is organized after significant changes in the membership breakdowns?

Noting that "the itinerary is not set yet, and the foundation sponsoring it ("a nongovernmental group" -- hey, wait! isn't letting their boss take trips paid for by "nongovernmental groups" what's got Charlie Rangel's aides in hot water?) hopes to "tailor the program to meet the unique interests of the participants," Al has some thoughts:

since you're invited as a senior congressional staffer, and China's really, really important, there are a few activities you might focus on (once you finish with the obligatory -- but truly great -- tours of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and dinner at the Li Family Restaurant).

For example, you might carry signs of the Dalai Lama around Lhasa in Tibet, attend an unofficial church service in Beijing, meet with Uighur leaders in Urumqi or demand a chat with jailed essayist Liu Xiaobo. A fun game might be to see who can spot the most plainclothes thugs lurking in Tiananmen Square.

Wait! Apparently the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, which does a lot of hosting of congressional groups, is working on the itinerary. Okay, so scratch most of the above. You may have to see the spectacular Mogao Caves with the Buddhist statuary inside, the market in Kashgar, the Terra Cotta Warriors and maybe some green technology sites. Perhaps a tour of worker conditions and housing in Dongguan, the huge factory city on the southeast coast, might be okayed.

And "if there's a stop in Shanghai," Al recommends "the city history museum in the basement of an office tower in the Pudong area," and in particular the section focusing on the century in which "the British, French, and Americans carved up Shanghai (and other important cities) and ran it as a colony. This section is tastefully called 'The Metropolis Infested With Foreign Adventurers.'"

There are great photos, including some of the colonial dames in the 30s, bedecked in summer finery and carrying parasols at the grand local racetrack, run by a colonials' club. Remember how great it was for foreigners living there in the old days? No? The Chinese do.

Gives you a feel for why our Chinese friends are inclined to balk at Washington's demands for help with the lunatic North Koreans and the Iranians or why they can't seem to stop their annoying currency-rate manipulation.