A message:

The Chinese government has sought to exploit this summer’s Olympics in Beijing as a prestigious symbol of success. The political message was to be that China’s communist authorities should no longer be tainted by the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. But Beijing

has been sending a very different message since March 10, when officials began a vicious crackdown on Tibetans.

In Paris, London, and San Francisco, they have disrupted the Olympic torch relay to protest the arrests and beating of Buddhist monks and other Tibetans. Because of the authoritarian way the Chinese communists rule as they have a scornful disregard for the opinions of the people. The only gestures of protest that stand a chance of affecting China’s leaders are those from presidents and prime ministers.

If there is one head of state most likely to get the Chinese leaders’ attention by refusing to attend the opening ceremonies in Beijing, it is President George W Bush. The president should say he will not go to Beijing unless the Chinese leaders enter a genuine dialogue with the Dalai Lama on autonomy for Tibet. But Bush should also make clear that the United States opposes any boycott of the Games, which only hurts the athletes. This kind of symbolic gesture would be a rare positive chapter in the Bush history. — The Boston Globe