The President of the United States Should Not Go To the Olympics
To Do So Would Be A Propaganda Victory For the Chicoms
By Erick Posted in China | Foreign Affairs | Olympics | President Bush — Comments (49) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
We find ourselves in the nearly unique position of agreeing with Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. Like stopped clocks, we think they can be right twice in a day and their minute has come. President Bush should not go to Peking for the Olympics.
Unfortunately, there will be a visceral reaction by some on the right because Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton are calling for the same thing. There should not be. In fact, the right, which has spent the better part of the last hundred years fighting for freedom around the world, should own this issue. The Chinese autocrats are ruthless dictators seeking international legitimacy despite the terror they pour into Tibet and the human rights abuses they encourage in their own country.
Read on . . .
We know some on the right who tend to view the world mostly in economic terms will disagree with us. Yes, we recognize that China is a large trading partner. We recognize how much of our debt they hold. We also recognize the arguments of some that if the President were to go, the media would be inclined to shed the spotlight on China's abuses.
None of these arguments contradict the fact that our President, who has spent eight years liberating parts of the world from tyranny, should not give the seal of approval on China's behavior -- approval his presence at the Olympics would most certainly give to the Chinese people.
We're under no delusions. The Olympic organizers themselves put the world in this position. They wanted to welcome China into the new millennium by embracing them as some part of the modern world -- a distinction the Olympics could supposedly give. They turned a blind eye to China's human rights abuses and the chickens are now coming home to roost.
If American athletes want to compete in China, we wish them well and hope they crush their Chinese opponents under the heavy weight of many gold medals. But we call on the President of the United States of America to personally boycott Peking during the Olympics. His presence would serve as a propaganda tool for the regime just as assuredly the lack of his presence will be noticed by the freedom loving people of China suffering Peking's communist boot on the back of their necks.
We the undersigned contributors of RedState join in this stated position:
Feddie
Haystack
Francis Cianfrocca
Jeff Emanuel
Soren Dayton
Moe Lane
Neil Stevens
Adam C
streiff
Dan Spencer, aka California Yankee
absentee
Mark Kilmer
Charles Bird
Ericka Andersen
Michelle Oddis
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The President of the United States Should Not Go To the Olympics 49 Comments (0 topical, 49 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Wubbies World, MSgt, USAF (Retired):
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println(""The only reason that some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.")
Bush talks frequently about human liberty and ending tyranny in our world. Here is a chance for him to make a statement on the matter.
and I don't even own a Che shirt or a Mao handbag!
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Thou art the Great Cat, the avenger of the Gods, and the judge of words...-Inscription on the Royal Tombs at Thebes
"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.Let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."-Barry Goldwater
Rudy/Romney for VP-because someone's got to punch the hippies.
Free Tibet
Free Bhutan
Support Taiwanese diplomatic recognition.
"I believe we must adjourn this meeting to some other place." - The last recorded words of Adam Smith.
I'm very hesitant about using the Olympics to make political statements, after the debacle of the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.
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Finrod's First Law of Bandwidth:
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it takes the bandwidth of ten thousand.
We kicked Russia's ASS in hockey, that was a political statement that turned out well.
The Olympics are inherently geopolitical. If the organizers didn't want them to be, they wouldn't be waving flags all over the place, and playing the anthems of the winning countries.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
It's not a political statement. It is one thing for everyone to come to the games free of politics, but how about everyone come to the games free?
In my opinion, the President attending would treated as validation by China. We have to draw a line somewhere. Sure, you don't cross your arms and hold your breath because such and such a country doesn't trade fairly. No, you go and enjoy the games anyway.
But this isn't politics, it's humanity. I can't see what gain there is in the President lending his image to cutthroat communist oppression, torture and murder.
absentee
Also now available at Political Machine.
"You never need a firearm,until you need it BADLY!"
and not feel like a mole here. :)) Thanks RS, though I do wince watching us all agreeing with Hill and Nance.
We do not owe China a visit. And we should also remember that when liberals and conservatives agree, it's not sinful behavior. Right is right.
Bush it is time to get off your knees and quit kissing China's Butt!!
The great mass of the Chinese people will look upon this as a calculated insult upon their nation. The President should go as promised.
I understand the outrage about Tibet, the Dalai Lama, and general distaste about Chinese Communism, but change in China is always glacial, punctuated by eras of famine and periods of warlordism and civil war.
I do not approach China with rose-colored glasses. The day may come when China turns from rival to enemy. The United States should arm itself in preparation for that day, and quietly but affirmatively build up our navy and air force for this eventuality. We should assemble a coalition of nations, such as Japan, Australia, and India, who could prevail in an Athenian naval strategy against China.
But in peacetime, we should remain watchful, but friendly trading partners with China, and pursue a policy of good will and non-interference in China's internal affairs. That the President initially promised to attend might have been a mistake, but now that he promised, he cannot withdrawl without a deep insult to the Chinese people.
The national interest of the United States remain paramount, and must take precedence before doing what is perceived to be "right". That is difficult to understand sometimes, but there you have it.
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it"-Winston Churchill
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
National Interest has nothing to do with "Good Will".
The proponents of this petition want this President to withdraw from his promise to attend the Olympics when he has already promised the IOC and the Chinese that he would be there. A boycott would be interpreted by most Chinese as a petulant stunt, and would have the opposite effect on the highly nationalistic Chinese. The Chinese propaganda apparatus would see to that, if all else failed.
It would change nothing for the better, and would have the same effect as sound and fury.
Petitions and withdrawls from Olympic Games are no substitute for armaments, increases in naval budgets, modern air forces, and rapidly deployable ground forces.
Meaningless stunts are no substitute for the mailed fist. That the Chinese understand.
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it"-Winston Churchill
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
Rep. Pelosi is in office so this does not apply to her, but I wonder how eager Sen. Clinton would be to antagonize the Chinese by staying home if she was POTUS.
Just wondering. BTW, I signed the petition.
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people."
A. Lincoln
I guess Sen. Clinton is sort of "in office" at this time as well. Just not IN her office very often lately.
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people."
A. Lincoln
He should go. First many foreigners don't like Bush and don't want him there. Second we buy more useless crap from China than anywhere else. The sentiment of a Bush snub is hollow in my book.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
because their Tibet policy is all about Han supremacy and I don't think they'd miss an exhibition of their athletic prowess any more than Hitler would have.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
I think Hillary should STFU, did she tell her husband not to go to Tiananmen Square back in 1998? (I don't remember if she accompanied him there.)
I think President Bush needs to announce it right before the games for maximum impact though.
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Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.
Hillary visited China in 1998 with her husband (CNN), she was at Tiananmen Square. I guess the massacre there 9 years prior didn't bother her then, I guess the plight of the Tibetans weren't on her mind at that time.
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Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.
In the end I believe Bush will goto China at somepoint, but he won't go to the Olympics opening ceremonies. For Bush who is trying to build a legacy before he leaves, snubbing the Chinese would be one of his better points.
But it doesn't look like Bush won't attend the opening ceremonies, it would be to much of a risk. There's a market open on just this question here: http://tinyurl.com/5zaamv
It's at 71% that he will attend and I doubt it will go down.
Hubdub.com
U.S. Politics Content Editor
ryan@hubdub.com
Must be coming to an end i think this is the first time i have 110% agreed with Redstate, Pelosi, and Clinton this is scary................................To Shutter im actually agreeing with Clinton......
O'Reiley brought up an interesting point on his show today:
If Bush boycotts we could see the Chinese halt business with the US. That could potentially send us into a deep recession. Now, the Chinese would be hurt by it too, but I'm not so sure they would care (and blame it on us anyway).
Still, he needs to do something. We have done very little to really call out China on its civil rights violations in the Bush Administration.
Fighting for conservatism one day at a time.
They're the ones sitting on reams of IOUs with a US Treasury symbol on them. They're the ones who will have lots of wealth pretty much evaporate should they embargo us.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
but he does have a point. Is it worth risking a recession?
I'm not sure how I would answer this. I also didn't catch the whole segment (pesky people that want to buy stuff from me always calling on the phone) so I don't know what his whole rationale was.
Fighting for conservatism one day at a time.
We're going to fight China someday. If we can fight them now, and economically, when we have a huge advantage, I welcome it. Better now than later when they've geared up better.
I doubt they would though. They're following the Hitler model, and won't provoke a fight until they're good and ready to hit us.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
between us and China that I'm not sure them stopping consumer relations would hurt us as much as it would them. Ulimately, we're a LARGE (too large) part of why they're such an economic power (and potential threat). If they have any brains at all, they'll piss and moan about it for a while, but it will ultimately be business as usual.
Fred Thompson, 2008
because they don't do anything with all those dollars that we pay them with.
Fighting for conservatism one day at a time.
The Chinese have already called the naysayers' bluff on this, pointing out widespread international agreement that America's own human rights policy under Bush is perceived to be at least as bad.
"No country should exclude itself from the international human rights development process or view itself as the incarnation of human rights that can reign over other countries and give orders to the others," Premier Wen Jiabao's cabinet declared, three days after the State Department criticized China in its annual human rights report."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3840-2005Mar3.html
Why hasn't Bush ever been able to forsee the blowback from his policies?
I see why you use a pseudonym. Woudln't it embarassing to publicly post under your real name as a shill for tyrants? Or do you just want to be the next Walter Duranty when you grow up?
How much are they paying you? Or are you just acting as their propagandist out of the goodness of your own heart? I'm not sure which would be worse: a paid mercenary for genocide, or just a volunteer.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
That if you tried to pull the same thing on the chinese in china, there would already be someone knocking on your door to have a "TALK" with you.
"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
I find the stuff China does to be horrendous, and I'm completely for the message trying to be conveyed by this post and people in it. But I just don't want politics to be tied into the Olympics. The Olympics should be about the athletes and the athletes only. It should be about sportsmanship and the other values associated with the event.
Now I do believe it's time for the World to stand up and seriously level with China. Heck, I think it's long overdue. But I'm uncomfortable using the Olympics as a showcase to pass political messages along. It's an event for the athletes and these sports, and I think it's wrong to take attention away from them to send a point that can be made in other ways.
This was the worry when China got the Olympic bid. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. This is how they do.
Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone. --Mitt Romney
Pelosi has long been critical of China; Clinton has not. Clinton is merely taking a contrary position to Bush. If Bush said he wasn't going to go to China, Clinton would say he should go to China.
As one who favors banning all trade with China, this is a no-brainer. Their barbaric dictatorship is enough. But don't forget the tainted cheap goods that all seem to come from China. You rarely see anything recalled that isn't tied to China, whether it is lead paint, poisoned pet food, risky medications, or dangerous toys.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
With bonus points for "Peking".