Washington: The United States has not ruled out the possibility of President George W Bush missing the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing.
Asked whether Bush will attend the opening ceremony, White House spokesperson Dana Perino would not be definitive. "We haven't provided any schedules on the president's trip," she said on Tuesday.
Perino suggested that Bush might attend some of the athletic events at the Olympic games in August if he skipped the opening.
Bush has said since last year that he plans to attend the Olympics, but he has never been specific about his visit. Bush has stressed he's a sports fan who wants to support US athletes at the games.
Pressed on whether Bush's decision to attend the Olympics is "irreversible" or could be affected by developments, Perino hedged.
"Any time the president—the president can always make a change," she said. "But Bush has been clear that this is a sporting event for the athletes and that pressuring China before, during and after the Olympics is the best way for us to try to help people across the board in China, not just Tibetans."
Bush is under heavy pressure from Democrats to boycott the opening ceremonies as a protest of the Chinese government's handling of Tibet, among other issues, a move endorsed on Monday by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton.
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