To look at it a more simpler way: if the US backs out of the Beijing Olympics, then China would win more metals. Who really wins? I agree with the previous poster. Engagement is the only way, on and off the Olympic field.

This is nonsense. How can one threaten participation in the Olympics as a tool for active participation in Darfur? As if Hu would care at all. He already displaced an estimated 2 million impoverished Chinese citizens for this huge event.

In April 1978, there was a Soviet-backed coup in Afghanistan, along with an increase in human rights abuses against Jewish dissidents, such as Alexander Ginsburg, Yuri Orlov and Anatoly Scharansky. At that time, when Moscow was preparing for the Summer Olympics that were still two years away, there were two cities in the world that could have played host in lieu of Moscow: Munich and Montreal. Given the fact that the murder of eleven Israeli athletes in Munich were still fresh in the minds of many, Montreal was probably the only real alternative to Moscow, but it was enough.Mr. Carter could have and should have pressured the International Olympic Committee to consider moving the 1980 Olympic Games to Montreal back then; instead, he did nothing until January 1980, weeks after Mr. Brezhnev's invasion of Afghanistan. Mr. Carter's last-minute boycott campaign ended up doing nothing to get Soviet troops out of Afghanistan but did end up making our president look in the eyes of many around the world as if he were afraid to have American athletes compete against the Soviets in Moscow and lose.The Moscow Olympic boycott was thus a spectacular failure, and similarly, it may already be too late for a Beijing Olympic boycott to work, as the Bush administration has done absolutely nothing to prepare for it. Imagine if the sixty-five nations that boycotted the Moscow Olympics had participated but had refused to allow their national anthems to be played or their national flags to be flown at the opening, closing, and medal-awarding ceremonies, substituting instead the Olympic hymn and the five-ringed Olympic flag: the Soviets would have been deeply embarrassed every time three Olympic flags were hoisted for a medal-awarding ceremony, and our athletes would not have been deprived of their opportunity to compete. This is the action we might consider taking if it is already too late to move the 2008 Summer Olympics from Beijing to Athens or Sydney.

Oh, my God. . . I can't believe we are talking about another Olympic boycott! What an incredibly stupid idea. . . international blackmail with our US athletes as pawns.

Instead of building bridges to other countries and peoples around the world (something we desparately need to do) through healthy competition and good sportsmanship, we would only achieve further isolation from the world community. . . not to mention the hurt inflicted on our own athletes that have been training for this event for years (and many their whole lives).

From the Olympic website: "The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised without discrimination or any kind, in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." Where are the words, "political pressure," in that statement?

Does anyone REALLY believe that boycotting the Olympics in China will help the poor people in Darfur? The 1980 boycott of the Russian Olympics really worked, didn't it? They didn't leave Afghanistan until 1988!!!

I bet the Republicans are laughing their socks off over this idiotic idea!

Richardson is a fool for bringing up such an idea, boycotting the olympics because China has not been tough on Darfur. China, unlike the US, does not have a foreign policy based on telling other countries how to run things or threatening them. Business is business; let's leave it to that. Richardson of all people should now, being the former energy secretary, China needs the oil and will pay handsomely to anyone who is willing to sell it. Politicans need to stop blaming China for everything that can't be blamed on the Middle East or North Korea. Darfur needs to be stopped with a military intervention, that's al their is to it.

In the past Olympic was boycotted but we should seperate Sports with Politics. They want to lead the country and talk about education then how could possibly destroy the dream of young generation. It is antinomy. It is a bad idea as president.

Skipping the Olympics is just the type of ignorant "if you don't play our way, we'll take our ball and go home" type of approach that the current dim-witted administration would pursue. There is only one way to fully resolve problems; engagement.

I absolutely think we should boycott the Olympics. It’s unfortunate for the athletes, but this is about a bigger issue. Who cares who can run faster when people are being slaughtered and chased from their homes? The issues in the Sudan, and especially in Darfur, are so hideous most people can’t even hear about it. To boycott on a small scale, such as not buying items manufactured in China, won’t make the impact we need. Hu would indeed care and as he has made mention of it. I say we add pressure by swinging the big bat.

The number of comments on this topic also sheds light on the amount of interest and awareness we have. We need to do more.