Submitted by Laura Miller on
George W. Bush's re-election campaign has been accused of appropriating the Olympics for political means. A recent Bush/Cheney advertisement that links Iraq's and Afghanistan's participation in the Olympic games with the White House's "war on terror" is drawing criticism. "To the embarrassment of their media handlers in Athens, members of the Iraqi football team have reacted furiously to the news that their efforts are being used to aid Mr Bush's efforts to win a second term in the White House," The Guardian reports. The team's coach, Adnan Hamd, told Sports Illustrated magazine, "My problem is not with the American people. They are with what America has done; destroyed everything. The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the stadium and there are shootings on the road?" The Guardian is also reporting that Bush may be "planning to visit Athens later this week to watch some sporting events, including a potential gold-medal winning bid by the Iraqi football team."