McCain’s visit with the Dalai Lama strikes me as pretty clever politics. By meeting with the Dalai Lama, and calling on China to release Tibetan prisoners, he then got himself criticized by China – which can only win him votes domestically.

Obama has spoken a few times with the Dalai Lama but has not managed to draw the wrath of China yet. Both he and McCain have suggested that, unlike President Bush, they wouldn’t have attended the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

Note too: He was careful to praise the Dalai Lama as a dissident political leader, not a spiritual leader (a smart move siince some of McCain’s base believes that Buddhism is a false religion.)

Correction: I originally accidentally said it was Obama’s base that might frown upon Buddhsim; I meant McCain’s.