WASHINGTON -- It's evident to the smart people here that there's a whole lot of shaking going on in China right now. It is hard to hear it or feel it above the desperate din of the tragic blunder of the Iraq invasion, but it is happening nonetheless. And when the shaking is over, China may not be quite the same place as before.
First there is a political struggle.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Beijing faction have turned their attention to their predecessor's famous faction -- the Shanghai gang led by former President Jiang Zemin -- with breathtaking vengeance. Party leaders are being rounded up and interrogated on questions of corruption. Few of them are likely to see the light of day ever again. If the sweep is complete and successful, the transformation to the Hu Dynasty will be complete and final.