Obama’s Boycott Dilemma: Genocide vs. Chicago Games 2016

Poor Barack Obama. He can’t make up his mind. Stop genocide and human rights violations or snap up the 2016 Games for Chicago.

Normally, a moral person would not see this as a tough choice. But Barack Obama is really hedging about joining Hillary Clinton, or anyone else for that matter, in urging President Bush to boycott the Opening of the Olympic Games. Says a lot about him, doesn’t it? He’s a real humanitarian, hey?

It seems that Barack Obama has no problem weighing politics and money against genocide. It also appears that he is a shameless blowass who can’t answer a simple question that shows that he even gives a slight shit about the Human Rights of suffering people. What’s a little genocide and a few thousand dead bodies in Darfur today or abuse of those silly Tibetans who can’t vote for him, when Chicago stands a chance to have the Games in 2016, right?

ABC asked Barack Obama one simple question. They wanted to know if he would join Hillary Clinton in urging President Bush to boycott the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games. Here are Obama’s selfish, I-don’t-really-give-a-shit-about-those-people-if-Chicago-can-get-the-Games-in-2016-but-let-me-act-like-I-care responses, in order of occurence:

Here is what Obama had to say yesterday at 3:25 PM EST, bearing in mind we are talking about genocide and suffering here:

As Chicago Bids for Games, Obama Ducks Olympics Criticism

April 09, 2008 3:25 PM

ABC News’ Sunlen Miller Reports:

Barack Obama doesn’t seem to want to talk about the Olympics or Senator Clinton’s call for a boycott of the opening ceremonies

on August 8, 2008.

At a town hall in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Obama, D-Ill., was asked about U.S. policy toward Tibet and Darfur, especially in light of the forthcoming Olympics in Beijing this summer. Obama has not followed Clinton’s lead in calling for an opening ceremony boycott

to protest China’s human rights abuses in Tibet and Darfur.

“It’s very hard to tell your banker that he’s wrong,” Obama said, after talking about the need to restore America’s stance in the world, “And if we are running huge deficits and big national debts and we’re borrowing money constantly from China, that gives us less leverage. It give us less leverage to talk about human rights, it also is giving us less leverage to talk about the uneven trading relationship that we have with China.”
Obama never once mentioned the Olympic Games in his response. He did say the United States has not been “consistent enough and tough enough” toward “pushing (China) to deal with Tibet properly.”

In a paper statement released on Monday, Obama said there “should be consequences” if the Chinese government does not take immediate steps to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people.In reference to Sudan, Obama sounded a similar note, asserting, “We have to take a stronger stance. We have to take a
stronger stance and it’s got to be more consistent over time.”

The junior Senator from Illinois has a particularly tricky balancing act when it comes to the subject of the Olympics: Chicago is vying to host the
2016 games and one of Obama’s top campaign advisors and close friends, Valerie Jarrett

, is the vice chair of Chicago’s bid
committee.

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Now let’s take a look at what Obama had to say a few hours later, at 7:02 PM, right after he figured out he had better at least try to take a stance here and pretend things like genocide and human rights are almost as important as his friend Valerie and the savory idea of Chicago Games 2016:

Obama Says Bush Should Boycott Olympics
If….
April 09, 2008 7:02 PM

ABC News’ Sunlen Miller Reports:

In his strongest language to date about the Olympics, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said that President Bush should boycott the opening ceremonies of if the Chinese do not take steps to stop the genocide in Darfur and respect the human
rights of Tibetan people.

Regarding the full Olympic games this summer, Obama says a decision to boycott the opening ceremonies would be on the table but should be made close to the start of the games.

“As I have communicated in public and to the President, it is past time for China to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people, to allow foreign journalists and diplomats access to the region, and to engage the Dalai Lama in meaningful talks about the future of Tibet,” Obama said in a statement.

The Democratic presidential frontrunner had seemed to want to avoid talking about the Olympics and Sen. Hillary Clinton’s call for a boycott of the Olympics opening ceremonies on August 8, 2008.

The junior Senator from Illinois has a particularly tricky balancing act when it comes to the subject of the Olympics: Chicago is vying to host the 2016 games and one of Obama’s top campaign advisors and close friends, Valerie Jarrett, is the vice chair of Chicago’s bid committee.

Here is Obama’s full statement:

“If the Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security, and human rights of the Tibetan people, then the President should boycott the opening ceremonies. As I have communicated in public and to the President, it is past time for China to respect the human
rights of the Tibetan people, to allow foreign journalists and diplomats access to the region, and to engage the Dalai Lama in meaningful talks about the future of Tibet. I am also deeply concerned about China’s failure to support efforts to
halt the genocide in Darfur. Regarding the Beijing Olympics this summer, a boycott of the opening ceremonies should be firmly on the table, but this decision should be made closer to the Games.”

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Uppity Translation: Hey I got the Games cookin’ for Chicago here! Can’t we put this off till after I get the nomination and sew up the Chicago Games!!! Stop asking me this question dammit!

Yes or No, Obama???