What was most amazing to Westerners at least -and perhaps, especially, to the Chinese people — was that his comments were broadcast live on official China TV. After all, his official observations weren't exactly pretty. Here is the back-story.

In every historical movement and moment, there are good guys and bad. But they often come to us in shades of gray, making it difficult to sort them out. That is precisely the case with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

After all, for years he has been nothing less than the No. 2 (behind impassive-faced President Hu Jintao) of a regime rated, certainly by the West, as relentlessly repressive and suspiciously corrupt. And he has been in office long enough to speak out forcefully long before this parting shot as he was stepping down.