One might think the controversy of Chen Guangcheng, the Chinese man who escaped house arrest and sought asylum in the U.S. embassy, would be the Chinese government's fault, since they arrested the blind human-rights activist in the first place. But really, we learned watching The Daily Show last night, it's all Bill Clinton's fault.

The timing of Chen's escape was perfect (or perfectly wrong, depending one your point of view) since Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was set to arrive in China for an economic summit, Chen asking to leave with her. Why in the world would he expect that? Well, maybe because another Clinton had gone and personally saved two jailed U.S. journalists in North Korea a few years ago. “A dangerous diplomatic precedent," quips The Daily Show's John Oliver. 

Part 1:

Part 2:

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at dgrandoni at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.