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| Friday, July 13 Updated: July 14, 9:45 PM ET |
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| 'It truly boggles the mind' Associated Press | |||
WASHINGTON -- The choice of Beijing as the site of the 2008
Olympic Games was denounced quickly Friday by congressional critics
of the communist leadership.
"It truly boggles the mind," said Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif.,
the House International Relations Committee's top Democrat, whose
resolution urging the International Olympic Committee not to choose
Beijing was blocked by Republican leaders. "This decision will
allow the Chinese police state to bask in the reflected glory of
the Olympic Games despite having one of the most abominable human
rights records in the world."
At the White House, President Bush's national security adviser,
Condoleezza Rice, noted that it was an IOC decision to give China
the games and said the Bush administration would pursue human
rights concerns through other bilateral contacts.
"The president has made very clear that human rights will be on
the agenda," Rice said. In the meantime, she said, "What we do
know is that American athletes are going to go there and they're
going to compete and hopefully compete very well and bring home
lots of gold medals."
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who chairs the Foreign Relations
Committee's East Asia and Pacific panel, saw some value in the
choice of Beijing, saying it gives China "an enormous opportunity
to change world perceptions and implement significant reforms
because, more than ever, the world will be watching."
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, meanwhile, said it
was too soon to tell whether the choice was wise. While some say
the increased attention on China will "force a higher attention to
standards," Armitage said, "there are those who say it didn't
work in 1936." The Berlin Olympics of 1936 did nothing to dissuade
the Nazi regime in Germany from starting World War II soon
thereafter.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., an International Relations
Committee member who often cites the Berlin Olympics as a reason
China should not get the 2008 Games, condemned the IOC's decision.
"We have just sent China one big wrong signal and that is that
the civilized nations of the world are not really concerned enough
about their human rights abuses and their militarism to treat them
any differently than a democratic country," Rohrabacher said.
Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., a fellow committee member and a
leader on China issues, said giving Chinese the games while they
"hold American citizens and permanent residents hostage is a
disgrace."
"It sends a dangerous message to the communist leadership that
their egregious violations of human rights, persecution of
religious believers and harassment of American citizens may
continue without any consequences," Smith said.
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ALSO SEE Outgoing IOC chief wants to stay involved Rovell: Too much TV tape? A China first: Beijing awarded 2008 Summer Games Activists say Olympics won't improve human rights in China Police detain, release anti-Beijing protesters | |
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