The BBC reports that a China dairy requested media and relations help from officials:

The Chinese authorities have already acknowledged that the Shijiazhuang government sat on a report from Sanlu about milk contamination for more than a month while Beijing hosted the Olympic Games.

It now says that in a letter to the city government, Sanlu asked for help to “increase control and co-ordination of the media, to create a good environment for the recall of the company’s problem products”, the People’s Daily reported.

This is not a Chinese problem. This is a failure of leadership. I have commented several times on Governor Palin’s attitude towards data and bad news. Troopergate is a fine example. This is exactly the kind of problem I would expect from her in the White House. She is likely to focus efforts entirely on positive spin for corporations and self-promotion even at the cost of human life and great suffering.

“This is to avoid whipping up the issue and creating a negative influence in society,” the Sanlu Group is reported to have said.

Palin said she did not want any negative feedback in her office. Only when casualties and public outcry overwhelm this kind of leader will they be motivated to act. At that point they are likely to describe the situation as an “unforseen” emergency and ask for even greater power with less oversight to deal “efficiently” with the problems. Sound familiar?