The long fight over Tibetan independence has gotten hotter recently:

Protests spread from Tibet into three neighboring provinces Sunday as Tibetans defied a Chinese government crackdown, while the Dalai Lama decried what he called the "cultural genocide" taking place in his homeland.

Demonstrations widened to Tibetan communities in Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces, forcing authorities to mobilize security forces across a broad expanse of western China...

In a sign that authorities were preparing for trouble, AP and other foreign journalists were ordered out of the Tibetan parts of Gansu and Qinghai provinces by police who told them it was for their "safety."

This fighting is about to take on a much higher profile, as Speaker Pelosi will travel this week to Dharamsala, India, (home of Tibet's 'government-in-exile') to meet with the Dalai Lama. She will be joined by there Richard Gere. The two will reportedly 'express solidarity' over the Tibetan cause.

Pelosi's arrival is sure to make waves in Beijing, which is already smarting from protests over the decision of the Bush administration to remove China from its human rights 'blacklist.' With the House likely to vote to on legislation to slap China's wrists in advance of the Olympic games (perhaps on a measure sponsored by Frank Wolf), Beijing is only ikely to experience more agita in advance of the games.

Exit question: Is the Bush administration really going to get out-hawked on China by Pelosi (and Richard Gere!)?

HT: Instapundit