........Scattershot........: Geo-politics 101

George Bush's National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley made the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows to defend the Decider's planned attendance at the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Let's just say Hadley butchered his talking points and showed himself to be as well-versed in geo-politics as we might expect a loyal Bushie to be:

ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said this morning the president "has no reason not to go" to the Olympic games in Beijing. But Hadley was hesitant to give a definitive response on whether or not Bush will attend the opening ceremonies. "If countries are really concerned about Nepal (sic), we shouldn’t have this sort of non-issue of opening ceremonies or not. They should do the hard work of quiet diplomacy to urge the Chinese government -- in their interest -- to take advantage of this opportunity to do something," Hadley said in a "This Week" appearance.

He went on to say that a boycott of the Olympic games would not be the best avenue for dealing with concerns over human rights. "The way to deal with the issue of Nepal (sic) is not by some -- a statement that you’re not going to the opening ceremonies and say, therefore, I checked the Nepal (sic) box."

Instead, Hadley said the President is opting to pursue a broader diplomatic approach. "What he’s doing on Nepal (sic) is what we think the international community ought to be doing, which is approaching the Chinese privately through diplomatic channels and sending a very firm message of concern for human rights, a concern for what’s happening in Nepal (sic), urging the Chinese government to understand that it is in their interest to reach out to representatives of the Dalai Lama, and to show, while the whole world is watching China, that they are determined to treat their citizens with dignity and respect. There is an opportunity here."