Secretary Clinton, who it must be said has managed the early weeks of this administration far better than many of her peers, will head to Asia next week for her first trip abroad. Asia isn't a bad place to start, and given the proliferation of special envoys in the Obama administration, it seems like one of the few areas in which Clinton will be able to operate unmolested by Biden, Holbrooke, Mitchell, Jones, or Ross (if he's ever actually installed as envoy to Iran). More interesting is the order in which Clinton will visit the countries on her itinerary. Japan, February 16-18 Indonesia, February 18-19 South Korea, February 19-20 China, February 20-22 It is entirely appropriate for Clinton to make her first international visit to Japan, America's closest ally in East Asia. It's also a real slap in the face to China, which has increasingly asserted itself as a regional power and increasingly expects to be afforded the courtesy such status provides. Instead Clinton will visit China after visiting three democratic allies. It's the kind of well-deserved slight that one would expect from a hawkish liberal like Clinton. Unfortunately, Clinton has passed over Australia entirely. While Indonesia is certainly an important regional ally, and as the world's most populous Muslim nation is reported to be at the top of the list of possible locations for a major foreign policy speech by Obama, Indonesia is not contributing in any substantive way to the war on terror -- troops from that country do not fight alongside U.S. forces in Iraq or Afghanistan. South Korea and Japan have both contributed in their own way to helping stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan. None of these countries, however, has done as much as Australia. Australian troops have fought and died in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and Australia remains one of America's most important allies in the Pacific, yet the State Department has decided a visit to Canberra isn't in the cards. It's unfortunate. Still, Clinton should be commended for putting together a trip that symbolically demonstrates this country's commitment to democracy and long-time allies. And it's always possible that Obama will name a special envoy to Australia for Aboriginal Affairs before Clinton returns.