What an 080808

It's not just those three eights that make this day easy to remember. Today the long-brewing confrontation between Russia and Georgia over Georgia's South Ossetia region exploded into real war. Apparently there have already been hundreds of civilian deaths. But much of US media attention was drawn away by a different kind of explosion: the John Edwards scandal.

I cannot imagine that anyone reading this blog does not already know about the Edwards situation. It is as sad--profoundly sad--as it is mind-boggling. And looking beyond the pain of family and devoted followers, I cannot keep from thinking about what would have happened this November if Edwards had been the presidential or vice-presidential candidate when this story broke. John McCain would automatically become president. And who could predict how many congressional races would be affected?

Just before jotting these notes, I looked at a very different scene, the last part of the opening ceremonies in Beijing. I can still see the beaming faces of marchers from all around the globe. You could feel the pride of the Chinese athletes, and especially of the towering basketball star Yao Ming and, at his side and eventually lifted up on his shoulder, the tiny 9-year-old Sichuan earthquake survivor Ling Hao. 91,000 people watched from the stands. It is estimated that four billion people were watching on television worldwide.

Surely many were also thinking of the Darfur-China relationship and Tibet. But the big picture tonight was one of hope. I'm very happy I got to see it. (And there was a sort of preface to this sign of hope with the news earlier this week that the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government may be approaching a compromise that would assure the protection of Tibetan culture.) In any case, today was a whole lot brighter in Beijing than it was on the shores of the Black Sea and the Potomac.