The best defense ...EditorialHere in the land of the free, the home of the brave, as romanticized in the patriotic ballad, it's easy to gloss glibly over Independence Day.But President Bill Clinton's travels to mainland China, an ancient land where freedom decidedly does not ring, raises consciousness beyond mundane weekend plans, to sobering reflection on the bounteous freedoms we enjoy. Before the trip, critics suggested that Clinton's visit to China, and particularly his agreement to speak at Tiananmen Square, might appear to excuse Chinese repression and undermine American human rights concerns. Instead, Clinton's masterful use of the media, exemplified by the vigorous debate with Chinese President Jiang Zemin with Tiananmen as a backdrop, his sermonizing at a back-alley church and his no-holds-barred dialogue with students at Peking University, proved the opposite. Clinton's momentous televised exchange focused international attention squarely on China's troubling human rights record. He challenged the Chinese president on the tragic use of force to subdue democratic activists in Tiananmen Square almost a decade ago, and he questioned China's repressive religious policy. Speaking from the pulpit of a simple Protestant church, Clinton made a moving appeal for the thousands of believers who choose to worship outside the state-approved church system. As he was leaving the United States for China, Clinton suggested that the best means to advance democracy was through personal diplomacy. And while he presented his esteemed host with the requisite symbols of American democracy, an American flag that had flown over the Capitol and copies of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, he proved that vibrant exchanges with the Chinese public could provide more compelling lessons in seeing democracy at work. There are lessons here, too, for Americans this July 4. As Clinton showed the Chinese by example, the best way to protect and advance freedom is to exercise it, not by mere flag waving, but through free and open discussion, defense of just cause and right action. 
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