Olympic torch burns US candidates

Looking for the Olympic torch in San Francisco on Wednesday was every bit as uncertain as a snark hunt and, by the end of a bleak day for Chinese dignity, the likelihood of a US boycott of the opening ceremony in Beijing in August had markedly increased.

San Francisco was selected for transit by the torch on its tumultuous journey from democracy's cradle to the people's republic because the city has many Chinese. No doubt the majority of these turned out to cheer for the motherland, but the Bay Area also holds many passionate supporters of Tibet's rights.

The trans-Pacific China trade is a very significant factor in California's economy and Gavin Newsom, the city's mayor, supervised an intricate plan to avoid any embarrassment. After landing at San Francisco airport the torch appeared briefly at an opening ceremony, then scuttled into a

warehouse and was rushed off in a car, away from a scheduled event on the Embarcadero where protesters had gathered.

It popped up again on the other side of the city, near the Golden Gate bridge, where relay runners carried it south, back towards the airport. One such bearer, 41-year old Majora Carter, whipped a small Tibetan flag from her sleeve, but was swiftly pounced upon by San Francisco cops.

Soon the torch was airborne. Mayor Newsom wiped the sweat from his brow and the Chinese press said the torch's San Francisco touch-down had been "a harmonious journey". This was an overly rosy assessment since Barack Obama chose that same day to inch closer to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's call upon President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies.

Obama said that a boycott "should be firmly on the table" but that a decision should be made closer to the Games. "If the Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security and human rights of the Tibetan people,