Bejing Olympic Games...Should President Bush?

[lamarrebel]

Throughout Europe and now yesterday in San Francisco protesters are trying to line the Olympic torch route to protest China's oppression of the Tibetan people? Some has suggested that the U.S. should boycott the Olympics themselves, or at least the opening ceremony. What should be do?

[hendrixfreak70]

We should just blow em off the map. Maybe we can use the excuse they have WMDs, cept this time it would be true.

[JMC]

Olypmics don't need to be held in China...stinkin commies...

[Conveyor Belt]

I was reflecting yesterday about how much Wal-Mart changed once Sam Walton died. Instead of Buy American, it turned into a price war and went to Chinese goods. I wonder if Sam Walton would have kept American businesses open, or opened his own supply chain to supply Wal-Marts... like McDonald's has their own fries, hamburger production plants, bakery, etc.

[onlyme]

Boycotting would be a slap in the face of all athletes who have trained so hard the last few years. It didn't achieve anything in 1980 ( other than a re-boycott 4 years later ) and it wouldn't achieve anything now.

[lamarrebel]

I tend to agree OM in part, but I think things are a lot different now than during the Cold War. If China did make a retaliatory boycott in 2012, there wouldn't be nearly as many countries follow them as followed the USSR in 1984 (China and Romania didn't even follow them then). In 1980, 61 other countries joined the U.S. boycott.

I don't think a full boycott is in order here. But, I do think Bush could send a message by skipping the opening ceremonies.