Back home in the US, presidential hopeful Barack Obama says he’s conflicted about the US’s role at the Beijing Olympics.

Sen. Barack Obama said he is conflicted about whether the U.S. should be a full participant in this summer’s Olympics in Beijing because of China’s human rights record.

“I am of two minds about this,” the Democratic presidential hopeful said in an interview aired Wednesday on CBS’ “The Early Show.” “On the one hand, I think that what has happened in Tibet, China’s support for the Sudanese government in Darfur, is a real problem.”

Still, Obama said, “I am hesitant to make the Olympics a site of political protest because I think it’s partly about bringing the world together.”

Obama also expressed concern about Chinese trade practices.

“I am a strong believer in free trade, but I think that we have not been very savvy negotiators when it comes to China,” Obama said. “I think they’ve played us. They definitely are stealing our intellectual property, and that has direct consequences in terms of the bottom lines for businesses here in the United States.”

My favorite part is when he says “they’ve played us”.

Via AP