To get ready for the Fifth, the Fourth cleans out the Third

ARTICLE: “In Graft Inquiry, Chinese See a Coming Shake-up: Scope Suggest Purge of Officials Loyal to Former Leader,” by Joseph Kahn, New York Times, 4 October 2006, p. A1.

Good piece by Kahn.

I’ve been waiting for the second shoe to drop on Jiang Zemin. He held on for so long to the Military Commission, somewhat refusing to fade from the scene and--by doing so--keeping Hu and Wen feeling a little less than secure in their leadership.

Now, the serious housecleaning of the Third Generation begins--apparently--just in time for the naming of the Fifth Generation. Taken in that light, I don’t find too much sinister in this--just the way of Chinese politics in this age. Hu and Wen want to feel secure as they set up the next round of leadership and pursue the agenda items they’ve come to believe will mark their legacy--to include better attention toward the environment.