<p>Let’s say you’re the president of the United States and <a title="you’ve agreed" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/world/asia/05cnd-prexy.html?_r=1&amp;ref=world&amp;oref=slogin" id="ac0n">you’ve agreed</a> to attend the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer despite China’s <a title="horrible record" href="http://china.hrw.org/press/review/summary_of_china_rights_developments" id="rqc2">horrible record</a> on human rights — a record that your own State Department has ranked among the world’s 10 worst for the past two years. What do you do? <br />

Well, if you’re George W. Bush, the solution is easy: Just have the State Department <a title="cut the name" href="http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j8dIzU90xJGmtZ0MWjEswwn1Jp7A" id="yfsj">cut China’s name</a> from the <a title="list" href="http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100464.htm" id="vm03">worst-offenders’ list</a>. <br />

Of course, the State Dept. rankings came out before China’s military police went on a <a title="murderous rampage" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/15/world/asia/15tibet.html?scp=14&amp;sq=tibet%20uprising&amp;st=nyt" id="iv9n">murderous rampage</a> against Tibetan monks in Lhasa last week. But no worries. The administration on Tuesday sent its <a title="warning" href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jZZKrQszTnCrVHedQoazSUulMrvAD8VFUI3G5" id="f_np">warning</a> to Beijing: &quot;The world is watching,&quot; cautioned Thomas Christensen, deputy assistant secretary of state, according to reports. Trouble is, the world <i>isn’t</i> watching because China’s leaders <a title="have blackened" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120577947315842573.html?mod=googlenews_wsj" id="c0yb">have blacked out</a> some of the country’s most popular media outlets, including GoogleNews and YouTube.<br />

No wonder GOP congressman Frank Wolf <a title="is calling" href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jiWOztcz3jAikcWVcRvn-tnMX-CAD8V85IN00" id="puiu">is calling</a> for Bush to boycott the show. Or was that over reports of the smog <a title="potentially damaging" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/17/AR2008031700973.html" id="cshh">potentially damaging</a> the athletes? <br />

This week, it’s tough to say.</p>