Olympic Games As Political Bargaining Chip

See if you can work it out:

US President George W. Bush was challenged on Monday by Senator Hillary Clinton to skip the ceremony, although the US leader has consistently said he plans to attend, arguing that the Olympics is about sport not politics.

However the White House on Tuesday did not rule out the possibility of Bush missing the event.

Asked by reporters if Bush would attend the opening ceremony, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said: "We haven't provided any schedule on the president's trip."

It makes no sense, does it? If the Games is not about politics, why are so many politicians going? And if Bush is going, why won't the White House confirm it?

Obviously, the USA is now using Bush's attendance at the Opening Ceremony as a bargaining chip to push the Chinese on other issues, particularly (one assumes) financial ones.

Moral high ground be damned, eh? This is business.