"Oba-Mao" T-Shirts to Greet President Obama on His Trip to Beijing

It can't possibly help the Democrats or White House that the Chinese will welcome President Barack Obama on his trip to Beijing with "Oba Mao" T-shirts and a statue of him that bursts into flames. This will be fodder for the right wingers -- Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, to name a few. He is widely admired for his charisma and will, undoubtedly, be a source of profit for some Chinese.

According to media reports, one Beijing shop owner wanted to see what Obama could do for sales. Liu Mingjie created "Oba Mao" T-shirts, with the president wearing the uniform of the Red Guards, who caused chaos during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. "It's just kind of avant garde," Liu said of the images, saying they were no longer political, just fashion.

He sold hundreds of the shirts, to both foreigners and Chinese, until authorities told shops selling the shirts to stop. "They're not allowed to sell these things because there are images of Obama wearing the uniform of the Red Army," a woman answering the phone at the Dongcheng district Administration for Commerce and Industry said Thursday.

The right wing will use to the their benefit, just like many did when the Iraqi shoe thrower dissed President George W. Bush for all the world to see.