The Washington Post had a great editorial yesterday on what increasingly looks like it will be a Potemkin Olympics:
[T]he Chinese leadership may have been encouraged by Western leaders — including President Bush — to believe it could maintain these policies and still hold a successful Olympics. Though French President Nicolas Sarkozy has now said publicly that he would not rule out boycotting the opening ceremony in Beijing in response to the repression in Tibet, Mr. Bush has not altered his ill-considered statement that he would attend the games as “a sports fan.” Yesterday, the White House reiterated that the president plans to attend the opening ceremony, gratuitously signaling to Mr. Hu that he need not fear that imprisoning dissidents or beating Tibetan monks will affect even that most political of Olympic events.
In fact, whether or not Mr. Bush attends, it looks increasingly likely that the Olympics will serve to remind the world not of China’s emerging greatness but of its continuing denial of freedom to its citizens, its repression of minorities and its amoral alliances with rogue states. Mr. Bush apparently prides himself on his ability to talk with Mr. Hu. If so, he should tell the Chinese president that his policies are turning these games politically toxic.
Notwithstanding the cries from some quarters, I have a sick feeling that the United States is going to react to the repression in Tibet, and elsewhere in China, in the same timid way we did after the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Back then, it was another President Bush who choose to stand by and say nothing while the Chinese slaughtered innocent people. Today, another President Bush appears poised to do the same.
Coward.
H/T: China E-Lobby
March 27th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Just wanted to let you know that we linked to this post on the MobLogic blog today: http://www.moblogic.tv/blog/2008/03/27/karma-chameleon/
In the post, we try to find the real story behind the riots in Tibet.
Our show today is about the “Buddho-Fascist” plot to take over China and how it affects regular Americans. All tongue-in-cheek, obviously. http://www.moblogic.tv/video/2008/03/27/tibetan-terrorists/
Stop by, check it out. Let us know what you think.
Thanks,
Amanda Elend
moblogic.tv