be okay if the president of the united states talks to the leader of a major u.s. ally like taiwan. secondly, i remember that president obama has met with the dalai lama a number of times over his teen nunure, also a sensitive subject for the chinese, but it s been okay, and thirdly, i guess i think both countries are, and both leaders, are trying to feel each other out. we need a constructive relationship with china, but as a rising power, china is testing what they can get away with, and you mentioned, or the report mentioned building islands in the south china sea, et cetera. a little bit of pushback, and i think especially with enhanced u.s. military power, it s probably a good thing to help channel this relationship towards more constructive ends. is it your understanding that this phone conversation wasn t just the spur of the moment