We don’t generally do up-to-the-minute news here, but I thought it worth following up on two points I raised yesterday regarding President Obama’s trip to Asia.

First, it appears that even with George Bush out of the way, international leaders are still having trouble reaching agreement on a climate change accord with teeth.

Consensus is forming now on a two-step process that would set the stage for a “political agreement” in Copenhagen next month followed by a legally binding framework for carbon reductions.

According to the Wall Street Journal, “Political opposition in the U.S. Congress over Mr. Obama’s climate-change proposals and continuing resistance among developing countries to binding emission reduction targets slowed consensus ahead of the Copenhagen summit.” Good news, unless you’re Al Gore.

Second, President Obama did meet with the full ASEAN 10 and used the occasion to press directly for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, though he could not get language on political prisoners into the official communiqué issued following the meeting.

Was the justified hectoring helpful? Maybe. But on balance, will the Burmese junta be pleased that they can finally tout a meeting with a US president – an implicit acknowledgment of their legitimacy as the country’s leaders? Probably.