A number just high enough to assuage my feelings of political resentment...

While I realize that this remark is probably tongue-in-cheek, it is nevertheless a sad statement.

Re-reading this thread, the following came to mind:
Frankie Gavin is quoted as saying "traditional Irish music and foreign policy should not mix and have no connection."

How many here would say that international sports (as in Olympic Games) and foreign policy should not mix and have no connection? The Chinese government's human rights abuses are just as egregious as the Bush regime's, if not marginally more so. Should they be ignored by athletes, or should the China Olympics be boycotted as a political statement?

Cheers,
Michael