Can't say Rico didn't warn 'em

Seems the Olympic torch is going to make a paltry six-mile run around San Francisco Bay before heading off to points unknown. According to the Washington Post, "The torch ceremony is a rich Olympic tradition, and the growing movement against it has left some Olympic officials considering whether to cut back the 58-day pageant, during which the Olympic flame is to travel 85,000 miles through 21 countries. In recent weeks, pressure has been mounting on the International Olympic Committee to respond to complaints from activists and politicians that China's lack of political freedom is incompatible with the values enshrined in the Olympic Charter. Officials have said that they are concerned about Tibet but that the IOC is not a political organization and cannot strong-arm the host government." "The torch’s San Francisco stop was the sixth stop of a global itinerary that began last month in Greece, where pro-Tibetan demonstrators briefly interrupted the torch’s lighting and its subsequent progress through Athens. The monthlong tour is scheduled to end in Vietnam in three weeks. That is to be followed by a six-week, 46-stop tour of China." "China, the host of the summer games, on Tuesday criticized the wild street protests that marred the torch’s appearance in London on Sunday and in Paris on Monday but insisted that the international relay would proceed unchanged." “No force can stop the torch relay of the Olympic Games,” Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing organizing committee, said in Beijing, The Associated Press reported. "We are confident the torch relay of the Beijing Olympic Games will succeed." But I.O.C. officials said they would meet later this week to discuss the protests, and that the future of the route was on the agenda. The I.O.C. cautioned that no decision had been taken, but officials indicated they would consider cutting short or amending the relay for the current Olympic games or for future games." "Olympic officials said the violent protests were damaging the Olympic movement. The scenes of protests may also be troubling news for sponsors of the torch relay, including Coca-Cola, Lenovo and Samsung Electronics. Advertising analysts estimate the companies have paid as much as $15 million each to sponsor the relay."

Rico says that's the real problem; screw the international repercussions, let's worry about the advertising dollars...