What the World Gets with Its Olympics
- Protests
- Terrorists threats
- Cheers for the North Koreans (although the Japanese team's gesture is notable, too).
- Gray polluted skies, again!
- A squeamish President Bush. Who's in charge of the White House anyway?
The New York Times quotes «a senior administration official» as saying that the Chinese government itself will likely deter Mr. Bush from visiting its critics. «They're going to make it difficult for the meetings to take place,» the official says.I don't buy it. I am in touch with a number of Beijing dissidents and am well aware that they are being confined in their Beijing homes these days by detachments of plainclothes police officers who are stationed constantly at their doorways. The officers are trained to tell the dissidents that «we are here for your protection»--although both sides know that this is only official puffery. It is an interesting fact that, at a personal level, relations between the dissidents and the young cops who are assigned to watch them are often very cordial.
But here's the point: The addresses and phone numbers of the dissidents are not secret. An American president could get into a car and go to see them. If he were blocked at their gates by police, whether in uniform or not, he could just bow and retreat. That would be enough of a statement.
Mr. Bush is free not to make the effort. But we must be clear that this decision will be out of political choice, not out of necessity. It is irresponsible to suggest that «it can't be done.
These are the world's Olympics!
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