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Clinton calls for Olympics ceremony boycott |
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By Andy Barr
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Posted: 04/07/08 03:18 PM [ET] |
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Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y) on Monday called on President Bush to boycott the opening ceremony of this year’s Summer Olympics in China because of recent violence in Tibet as well as the Chinese government’s failure to use “its full leverage” to stop violence in Darfur. “At this time, and in light of recent events, I believe President Bush should not plan on attending the opening ceremonies in Beijing, absent major changes by the Chinese government,” Clinton said in a statement. The statement from the Clinton campaign made clear that despite the senator’s misgivings over China, Americans should “root for the success of American athletes who have worked hard and earned the right to compete in the Olympic Games of 2008.” Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has said he is “of two minds” on whether to boycott the Summer Olympics, saying on CBS’s “Early Show” that “on the one hand, I think that what’s happened in Tibet, China’s support of the Sudanese government in Darfur, is a real problem.” However, Obama added that he is “hesitant to make the Olympics a site of political protest, because I think it’s partly about bringing the world together.” |
