Obama urges Bush to boycott Beijing

LEVITTOWN, Pa. - Barack Obama joined Democratic presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday in calling for President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Clinton had commended British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for announcing that he will skip the August ceremonies in China's capital, and called on Obama and likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain to join her in urging Bush to do the same.

Obama did later in the day; his campaign issued a statement in which, for the first time, he urged Bush to boycott the festivities.

Activists are urging world leaders to stay away from the ceremonies to underscore concerns about China's human rights record, its handling of recent unrest in Tibet and its relationship with Sudan.

Obama said a boycott "should be firmly on the table," but that a decision should be made closer to the Games.

"If the Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security and human rights of the Tibetan people, then the president should boycott the opening ceremonies," he said. "As I have communicated in public and to the president, it is past time for China to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people, to allow foreign journalists and diplomats access to the region, and to engage the Dalai Lama in meaningful talks about the future of Tibet."

Obama previously had said he was conflicted about U.S. participation, but that "there should be consequences" for China if it does not take steps to respect rights and freedoms in Tibet.
Obama urges Bush to boycott Beijing - Yahoo! News

The same dude that wants to talk to every terrorist backing leader NOW wants us to bitch slap the Chinese. LMAO....this must be the popular opinion according to polls.

Have a good one!:s4:

I'm not defending China when I say that the Olympic Games should be left alone, rather I'm defending all of the American athletes who've worked SO hard to make it to the games this year, and they don't need any irrelevant left-wing loons desperately trying to screw that up for them. Many of these athletes will be "past their prime" next time the Olympics roll around, and I know I'd be severely pissed if I wasn't allowed to compete because some fanatical politicians wanted to make a big show of their foreign relations standards by boycotting the Beijing games.

I'm a big fan of the Dalai Lama, so I agree that an agreement needs to be reached between Tibet and China... I just don't agree that now is the best time to be threatening to boycott the games. It's all a political ploy... like Obama or Billary really give a damn about oppressed Tibetans, anyway. Just my :twocents:.

no American president should ever boycott the Olympic games in which Americans are competing period. To do so would be metaphorically the same as turning your back on the athletes who have worked so very hard to be apart of something memorable. IMO of course.....:stoned:

Jimmy Carter pulled the boycott.........what did it gain him or anyone else?

Have a good one!:s4:

well if the point of it is to stop human rights abuses in China, you might as well boycott drinking water for god's sake.
They aren't going to snap into a human rights respecting democratic nation over some boycott of the olympics. Plus, whatever statement the protesters want to be sent to the Chinese...it's not being heard...do you think the communist leader of China gives a shit if American athletes don't participate? He doesn't care, and he certainly won't reform his country over it.

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Originally Posted by ldg420

no American president should ever boycott the Olympic games in which Americans are competing period. To do so would be metaphorically the same as turning your back on the athletes who have worked so very hard to be apart of something memorable. IMO of course.....:stoned:

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Yeah cause we know the hard work of some unheard ofathletes is more imortant than human lives:wtf:

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Originally Posted by FreshNugz

do you think the communist leader of China gives a shit if American athletes don't participate? He doesn't care, and he certainly won't reform his country over it.

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Yeah. They def do. If Americans dont show they lose a ton of money. Hurting someone in the pocket will make them straighten up quick

hah, normally I'd agree, but America is so in debt to the Chinese right now that I don't think they mind losing a little money over a political boycott of the olympics. America owes them enough so I don't think they'd care.

The Dalai Lamas enslaved the Tibetan people for centuries.
There was a 35 year life expectency in Tibet in the 1950's, now it is 67 years. China may be bad, but the Feudal system that they had before was worse. Torture, starvation, disease, slavery, rape of girls and women, no education, no health care, and other horrors were the norm for most of the people. The upper classes, including the monks, were living a charmed life off the miseries of the majority.

It's easy for rich Hollywood stars like Richard Gere to say that the Dalai Lama is "His Holiness", but Gere didn't have to starve, toil, and get tortured under the rule of their empire. It took the 14th Dalai Lama decades to even speak out against some of the policies of his predecessors.

Here is a rarely heard perspective on the issue of separating Tibet from China:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9QNKB34cJo[/youtube]

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Originally Posted by zeitgeist

Yeah cause we know the hard work of some unheard ofathletes is more imortant than human lives:wtf:

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the hard work of AMERICAN Athletes who strive for years to be apart of something special are indeed more important to me than the Dali Llamas' wishes to be restored to his immense palaces where he could freely manipulate the live of otherwise innocent Tibetans into lives where formal education seizes to exist and rape, child abuse and torture are part of the norm.
I am by no means saying that the Chinese government has every been a reputable or honest form of government, I am just trying to point out that there is much more to the story than China simply ruling over Tibet..........:stoned:

The Olympics should not be politicised in any way, they are supposed to be for the people and not the governments. The fact that China was chosen to host the event in the first place shows that the selection committee must have been either corrupt or stupid, most probably both.:rolleyes:

Sadly the Olympics are heavily influenced by world politics, there isn't a lot of sport that isn't really.

:cool: