Olympic Torch Snuffed - Hillary Flares ...
By FrauBudgie Posted in Breaking News — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
It's a terrible year for the tattered Olympic Torch.
In quite a colorful display, the Olympic Torch was snuffed out today in Paris. From the AP: PARIS (AP) -- Paris' Olympic torch relay descended into chaos Monday, with protesters scaling the Eiffel Tower, grabbing for the flame and forcing security officials to repeatedly snuff out the torch and transport it by bus past demonstrators yelling "Free Tibet!"
The issue is that the Olympics are to be held in Beijing this summer. The protests have centered primarily around Chinese suppression of the expression of Tibetan religious beliefs.
Hillary Clinton seized the event to call on President Bush to boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympics. From the UK telegraph:
..."The violent clashes in Tibet and the failure of the Chinese government to use its full leverage with Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur are opportunities for presidential leadership," Mrs Clinton said.
Citing China's links to the Sudanese government - one of several relationships with African nations actively fostered by Beijing - Mrs Clinton said Mr Bush should not plan on attending the opening ceremonies unless there were "major changes by the Chinese government" ...
What Hillary forgets to mention is that she and Bill were invited to Tiananmen Square during the Clinton presidency. Tiananmen Square is the site where hundreds of protestors were gunned down by the Chinese military on June 4th, 1989. The demonstrators were peacefully protesting authoritarianism and economic policies of the CCP. and for democratic reform.
About a decade after the slaughter, the President and First Lady of the US were honored with a "red carpet welcoming ceremony" right at the edge of Tiananmen Square. Click here for the CNN story. (Stetson Tip to NativeNewYorker over at Free Republic.)
I'm pretty sure that the symbolism of the moment was not lost on the Chinese. It should not be lost on Americans -- nor should Hillary's hypocrisy of this moment go unnoticed.
Moe
What are your triggers for boycotting the whole thing?
For me, it's massive crack downs of peaceful dissidence, crack down on protests and suppression of fledgling Democracy at the barrel of a gun.
Oh wait, that China's normal modus operandi.
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Proud member of the Barry Goldwater wing of the party !
Sure ... politicians that have accomplished nothing in their lives except get re-elected and win the bag-race for election cash are all for a boycott. Sounds really good in a speech to executives or steel-workers. But not so much in a Gym where kids have been practicing a sport for years.
The only thing accomplished by boycotting the Russian Olympics (Remember? We did that) was not political: it simply crushed the hopes of a generation of American athletes.
As to "suppression" ... I might mention the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, or Kent State. But few would like to remember those.
The Chinese could very well do worse. I would be in favor of getting together nations willing to embarrass the Chinese over this and having them make the threat quietly and behind the scenes.
That way the Chinese don't get their backs up. Also if we actually boycott we lose our leverage.
Well I am back to reading Retief.
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Too bad the CDT isn't in charge ... Retief was always clever, but our State Department truly matches only the bumbling parts of those stories
Not many months ago, the Democrats were all over President Bush for not "talking" to foreign leaders. Even Obama has promised to talk ... but now Hillary says "Shut Up."
Maybe The President "boycotting" (ie "staying away from") the Olympic opener would "send a message." But since when did insulting your hosts become an "opener" for negotiations?
If you're invited to dinner, do you show up, tell your host "Your house is messy, I'll pass on the introductions, but I'll be back for dessert?"
And if Sen. Obama said it, I'll agree with him, too: the President should boycott the opening ceremonies.
Yes, I'm just as surprised as you are.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.I've been usurped!