The President Should Not Go To China

Dear Reader, We at RedState find ourselves in the nearly unique position of agreeing with Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi.  Like stopped clocks, we think they can be right twice in a day and their minute has come.  President Bush should not go to Peking for the Olympics. Unfortunately, there will be a visceral reaction by some on the right because Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton are calling for the same thing.  There should not be.  In fact, the right, which has spent the better part of the last hundred years fighting for freedom around the world, should own this issue.  The Chinese autocrats are ruthless dictators seeking international legitimacy despite the terror they pour into Tibet and the human rights abuses they encourage in their own country. We know some on the right who tend to view the world mostly in economic terms will disagree with us.  Yes, we recognize that China is a large trading partner.  We recognize how much of our debt they hold.  We also recognize the arguments of some that if the President were to go, the media would be inclined to shed the spotlight on China's abuses.  None of these arguments contradict the fact that our President, who has spent eight years liberating parts of the world from tyranny, should not give the seal of approval on China's behavior -- approval his presence at the Olympics would most certainly give to the Chinese people. We're under no delusions.  The Olympic organizers themselves put the world in this position.  They wanted to welcome China into the new millennium by embracing them as some part of the modern world -- a distinction the Olympics could supposedly give.  They turned a blind eye to China's human rights abuses and the chickens are now coming home to roost. If American athletes want to compete in China, we wish them well and hope they crush their Chinese opponents under the heavy weight of many gold medals.  But we call on the President of the United States of America to personally boycott Peking during the Olympics.  His presence would serve as a propaganda tool for the regime just as assuredly the lack of his presence will be noticed by the freedom loving people of China suffering Peking's communist boot on the back of their necks. Should you want to join us, we would encourage you to sign our petition by clicking here. All the best, Erick Erickson Editor, RedState.com

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