US President Barack Obama hosted the Dalai Lama at the White House Wednesday - a now familiar ritual that takes place off-camera and out of the public eye to avoid irking China. Obama carried out what has become a political rite in Washington, spiriting the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader into the White House through the back door and prompting the usual Chinese denunciations.
Since coming to office, Obama has hosted the Dalai Lama three previous times. Each time, Obama has tried to limit the fallout by holding the meeting behind closed doors. This latest confab took place in the Map Room, not the Oval Office, and the press was not invited - meaning images of the two Nobel peace laureates would not be flashed around the world. The 80-year-old Buddhist monk did not appear to enter the White House through the usual West Wing entrance, which is the route for most - although not all - visitors.