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Washington: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called on President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games in Beijing, a fresh sign that politics, not sports, may take centre stage at the summer games.
The Democratic presidential candidate said on Monday a boycott would underscore US concerns about recent unrest in Tibet and questions about China's relationship with Sudan.
She said, "The violent clashes in Tibet and the failure of the Chinese government to use its full leverage with Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur are opportunities for presidential leadership," adding that the Bush administration "has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy towards China."
She said Bush should not plan on attending the ceremonies "absent major changes by the Chinese government."
Her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama, recently said he was conflicted about whether the US should fully participate.
Bush has said he will attend the Olympics because it is a sporting event, not a political event.
White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters on Monday that Bush's position had not changed, nor had the administration's concerns about China's human rights record.
"We have never been afraid to express those views either directly by the president or the president's senior advisers when they travel to China and publicly," Fratto said.
Obama issued a statement late on Monday saying he has been "deeply disturbed by the recent events in Tibet, and have communicated my concerns in public and to President Bush," adding that if China does not take quick steps to respect rights and freedoms in Tibet, "there should be consequences."
The political debate over China's hosting role is rapidly overtaking the sports-themed torch ceremonies around the globe.
In Paris on Monday, organisers cancelled the final leg of the traditional torch run through the city.
In the face of chaotic protests and repeated attempts to douse the torch, organisers snuffed out the flame and put the torch aboard a bus in a humiliating concession to protesters decrying China's human rights record.
Protestors also scaled San Francisco's landmark Golden Gate Bridge on Monday, draping pro-Tibet banners on it, ahead of the torch’s arrival in the US.
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