Clinton and Olympics
The BBC reports Hillary Clinton urging President Bush to boycott the Olympic opening ceremony unless China acts on human rights. Clinton spoke about China's actions in Tibet and lack of action in Sudan.
She said Mr Bush should not attend the ceremony "absent [without] major changes by the Chinese government." Mrs Clinton's call came five days after the White House rejected calls in the Democratic-led US Congress for Mr Bush to miss the Beijing opening ceremonies.
She said in a statement: "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. These events underscore why I believe the Bush administration has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy towards China."
Mr Bush has previously said he will attend the Olympics because it is a sporting and not a political event. White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters that the president had not altered his stance on the Olympics. He added that the Bush administration's concerns over China's human rights record were also unchanged.
Mr Obama said in a television interview earlier this month that he was "of two minds" about US participation in the Olympics. He said China's position over Tibet and Darfur was "a real problem" but that he was reluctant to politicise the Olympics.
The torch will arrive in San Francisco on Wednesday, where demonstrators climbed the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge to hang pro-Tibet banners and flags. Officials say that security will be strict on the torch's journey through San Francisco to prevent further protests.
She said Mr Bush should not attend the ceremony "absent [without] major changes by the Chinese government." Mrs Clinton's call came five days after the White House rejected calls in the Democratic-led US Congress for Mr Bush to miss the Beijing opening ceremonies.
She said in a statement: "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. These events underscore why I believe the Bush administration has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy towards China."
Mr Bush has previously said he will attend the Olympics because it is a sporting and not a political event. White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters that the president had not altered his stance on the Olympics. He added that the Bush administration's concerns over China's human rights record were also unchanged.
Mr Obama said in a television interview earlier this month that he was "of two minds" about US participation in the Olympics. He said China's position over Tibet and Darfur was "a real problem" but that he was reluctant to politicise the Olympics.
The torch will arrive in San Francisco on Wednesday, where demonstrators climbed the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge to hang pro-Tibet banners and flags. Officials say that security will be strict on the torch's journey through San Francisco to prevent further protests.
posted by Jordan Cole at 8:18 PM
2 Comments:
I was listening to NPR this morning and a reporter took a new and interesting approach to the Olympics. He believed we should not boycott, but rather go in full force with all the news and public figures we can. United States understand the problems with China's human rights and Tibet, and this could be away to bring even greater awareness to the problem. Use the Olympics as a stepping-stone to show China, 'welcome to the modern world, it is time to change.' I don’t know which method is better, boycotting or going in full force. I do know however that things in China need to change.
I think that this is a very interesting idea. Since the problem with China is its repression of expression and peoples, this seems like a great opportunity to shine a light on that. China is basically gonna be forced to allow the media to come in and do whatever it wants because it took the responsibility of hosting the olympics. It is an open door for the media to get in there to do and show what China has not allowed people to see.
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