America's Olympic Heroes

If the War in Iraq was not enough to show the strength of the American character, our performance at the Olympics certainly shocked and awed the rest of the world. Our fine American athletes proved themselves to be the greatest goodwill ambassadors this country has after our men in uniform. Even our losers were winners, reminding us all of what is unique about the American spirit.

Winning isn't everything--Downhill skier Bode Miller taught us that there are more important things in life than winning, something we should all remember in case Iraq breaks out in Civil War and we are forced to leave before fulfilling all of our objectives there. Sure, it might have been nice if he had won a medal or two but it wasn't Miller's biggest priority. "My quality of life is the priority," he said. "I wanted to have fun here." While Muslim culture may celebrate martyrs, that's not the American way. "I just did it my way," said Miller. "I'm not a martyr, and I'm not a do-gooder. I just want to go out and rock. And man, I rocked here."

Take some risks--Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis had the gold medal clinched on her last run. But why be content with coasting to an easy victory? So Jacobellis decided to show everyone just how good she was by grabbing her board on the last jump. Unfortunately, she lost her balance and crashed, losing the gold. Though it didn't pan out this time, life wouldn't be worth living without taking a few risks. In the same way the risks Bush took by going to war with Iraq may not pan out either, but taking the easy way out is not what made America great.

Think long term--U.S. slider Zach Lund was disqualified when he failed a doping test because of a hair restoration medicine he was taking. While the short-term glory of winning a medal might have been nice, would it have made up for spending the rest of his life bald? In a sense the war on terrorism is a little bit like hair restoration tonic. It might not always meet the nitpicky standards of international rules and regulations, it's possible it won't actually work and we may lose a few short-term battles in the arena of world opinion along the way, but in the end our Samson-like strength will make us winners.

Shop till you drop (or the terrorists win)--Ice skater Johnny Weir took President Bush's words to heart when he told Americans to go shopping after 9/11. Although Weir criticized Republicans, that didn't stop him from shopping like one. On one shopping trip in Torino he spent $1,330. He bargained a sable scarf down from $715 to $415. Among his other purchases: $320 Roberto Cavalli sunglasses and an $845 Louis Vuitton bag to add to his collection of nearly 40. Unfortunately, an Olympic medal was not on sale, but if it were, you can be sure he would have bought one.

Jon Swift, Olympics, Winter Olympics, Bode Miller, Johnny Weir, Zach Lund, Lindsey Jacobellis, Bush, Iraq, Terrorism, Turin, Torino, Italy, Sports, News