Morning Update: Olympic Pressures
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) said President Bush should keep the option of boycotting the opening ceremony of the Olympics “firmly on the table.” He said President Bush should decide to attend based on whether China takes “steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security, and human rights of the Tibetan people.”
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) signed a letter Wednesday asking President Bush to boycott the ceremony. “The Chinese government’s unwillingness to acknowledge or address their record of human rights violations is in direct conflict to the spirit of the Olympic Games, and the United States cannot just accede to the Chinese government with our attendance,” the letter read. Clinton also commended British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for pledging to boycott the ceremony.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Wednesday he would not rule out the possibility of pre-emptive war (AP). “I don’t think you could make a blanket statement about pre-emptive war, because obviously, it depends on the threat that the United States of America faces,” McCain said at a town hall meeting in Connecticut.
