[BJungNan]

It’s heartless of me to say this, but denying Beijing a propaganda coup on the lines of the 1936 Berlin Olympics is more important than whether or not the athletes get their feelings hurt.

If that were the case, I might agree with you. But unless you have forgotten your history, the 1936 Berlin Olympics was a success for the free world.

By contrast, the Moscow Olympics were a failure for the west. Absolutely nothing was gained. It still makes me sick to hear that quote from Carter (spit).

Your view is not a correct one. Looking back, history will show the same view as it does today of yesterday - that a boycott of the Olympics in Beijing will have accomplished nothing except to deprive athletes the chance to compete.

Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Jesse Owens

[Ronin]

You’re assuming I am holding out for a full boycott of the Beijing Olympics. I’m not at that point yet.

Nor do I think the boycott of the Moscow Olympics was a good idea.

However, neither of those things have very much to do with whether or not China gets its reprehensible conduct rubbed in its collective face by protesters during what they had hoped would be a smoothly showcased torch relay, OR, for that matter, whether we should make our contempt known by showing up for the opening ceremonies.

I don’t want to deny our athletes their chance to compete, but I also don’t want to miss the chance to make it very plain to the ChiComs that they are not nice people and no amount of temper tantrums on their part is going to convince anyone otherwise.

[PanzerKardinal]

Anyone who thinks the Olympics are only about athletics is either naive or disingenuous.

If it was all about athletics, why have them compete in national teams?

Why the big deal about a country’s medal count?

Why would countries spend vast sums of money developing and training their athletes?

No the Olympics have always been political theater.

The Soviet Bloc, during the Cold War, and China today see the Olympics as the equivalent to war.

They see it as an affirmation of their political system.

They see Olympic medals and world records as a display of national power.

The 2008 Olympics was to be a venue for China to show that it is now a world power, but instead it’s turn out to be a huge embarrassment.