To get back to the subject let me say I agree with Stone There is no doubt that China is a dictatorship, Its action over Tibet and its inaction over Darfur Sudan are a serious breach of civil rights. But how would a boycott by the American President help change this position.

It was tried In Moscow and did nothing to change the position. It just robbed so many atheltics of their one chance to represent their country. Things did change with time, The USSR callapse and countries like Estonia which were hosts to yachting did get independence.It might have got it quicker if Americans like myself visited Tailin.

The Olympic games have not always produce peace or improve civil rights. But on the whole they have done more good than harm. The Melbourne Olympics was held just after the Soviets repression of The Hungarian revolution. It did publized the Hungarian cause and the sympthay engender did help it get independence.

The Tokyo Olympics brought Japan back into the civized world. The Mexico city Olympics did advance black Power. THe 1988 Seoul Olympics did hasten better relations with Noth Korea. Both Koreans march as a united team in Sydney.

The Munich Olympics seems an exception. Howerver the outporing of revulsion after the massacre did advance respect for Israel.The Atlanta olympics brought the Southern states to be more accepted as part of the USA. After The Sydney Olmpics aboriginals rights were advance leading to the apology.

All these were achieved because visitors from other countries attended. If Bush and Rudd did not attend how could they speak up for civil rights in China. If America boycotted the Games how could a runner from Sudan be the USA flagbearer. The Olympics do give a stage to advance peace and civil rights. It is up to us to use it to achieve the maximum benefits without destroying the Olympic movement.

Wandering Spryte how would not giving the games to China improve its environment. It is true statdiums were built in place of houses but most have been built to present environment standards. Beijing has at last tackle its pollution problem because of the publicity engender by the Games. Human rights problims. have not been solved but how would they be advanced by staying away.

I don't think there was that much serious talk about the US boycotting the Games. I mean, how could we? China is our largest trading partner. Both of our economies are so intertwined, it's getting harder and harder to see how one could exist without the other.

Are they Communists? Absolutely. But they're far different than the Communists of the Khrushchev era. They're Capitalistic Communists. I work amongst Chinese(the non-American types, here on biz) nearly every day and they're far different people then what I imagine the old Soviets to be like. I think the old Soviet Union was a very closed country, unlike China. The Soviet Union was far, far more controlling of a government than what the Chinese are and I think that in my lifetime, I'll see something far closer to a democracy in that country.

I think it's inevitable.

To those of us who are older than you, Stone, we'd like to see a Chinese democracy sometime sooner, thank you--fine. And I think younger Chinese people such as apaul would also like to see it sooner, although I imagine you're of an age.

I really don't think Mr. Bush's presence makes any difference. He's done so much damage to the United States' reputation in the rest of the world that what he does or doesn't do holds no more importance than a huge yawn.

Bush landed in Beijing earlier today. Our George was welcomed with a wait of 3 hours on the tarmack, while going through immigration proceedings reserved for the common tourist. Heads of nations, and the leader of the free world would usually get the red carpet treatment. It certainly was not the welcome he expected or should have received from our bankers...who treated him as someone from the American provence.

No, CG, we don't have a National Olympic Team the way other countries do--but we have National competitions that are designed to filter the less-than-the-best from the best and our best go on to compete in World Championships. We don't have national training schools that often take very young potential athletes away from their homes and families with one goal in mind--to train them to achieve World Championships or Olympic Gold.

What we have is a collection of superb athletes taken from discrete competive 'teams' and welded into one team.

Other than relays, how many of the 'teams' function as a team?

The competitions are, in reality, individual competitions--even the individuals within a team are competing against their 'team mates.'

The Olympics are a display of the best-of-the-best, as they should be. The Games bring together the athletes under one 'tent', so to speak, made popular--and political--since the advent of television.

That's a very bad question. There's soccer, volleyball, basketball...

CG, can you please source this for me? I'd like to read or see it in its entirety.

Thanks.

You're right, Stone--my bad. I just don't always think of some of the 'newer' sports when I think of the Olympics, possibly because so many of them (team sports) are made up of professional athletes.

I did like Yao Ming and little Lin Hao leading the Chinese delegation. I'm glad Lin Hao was included.

I viewed the piece on an evening news piece, yesterday. Here is a "shorten " video of the news item. Here is a video. It's at the end of the video...and not as long as the news piece I saw last night, either Keith Olberman or Chris Mattews.

http://video.aol.com/partner/cbs/bush-harshly-criticizes-china/jLTKrkU9jQfEo5jjB5BB35qxH3f3ioxk

I think that is a little unfair, Liz. Nations with "national" teams of the sort you were describing are sending professional athletes. Why should the US not do so? These other nations have full time athletes who are paid by their governments and afforded the best available training facilities and coaches. They are in every sense of the word professionals. I think it is unfair to suggest the US teams consisting of professional athletes are somehow worthy of denigration.