Is there any small aspect of American policy that cannot be dragged through the muck of this election cycle?

Answer: nope.

[Hillary Clinton] said a boycott of the [2008 Olympics in Beijing, China] opening ceremonies by Bush would underscore U.S. concerns about the recent unrest in Tibet and questions about China's relationship with Sudan…

Her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama, said recently that he was conflicted about whether the U.S. should fully participate.

Good for Clinton and possibly Obama. I don't know how either of them would be able to live with themselves if they didn't make a brave stance against the prospect President Bush sitting and watching a ceremony of some sort, what with China acting like a major world power all.

It's one thing to send dozens of athletic emissaries to a country of questionable moral integrity to compete in a two-week athletic event. That's fine; anyone would do that.

But it's a whole other thing to sit through a firework display. Why, he might as well be crushing the skull of Tibetan monks beneath the but of a gun himself.

So, what is the president going to do?

President Bush has said he will attend the Olympics because it is a sporting event, not a political event.

It's a good thing all those victims of the Darfur genocide are around to see him do that. They would be so disappointed.