A future president would address this issue publicly on the campaign trail to show they have a sense of global scope.

BEIJING - The communist government's leading newspaper called Saturday to "resolutely crush" Tibetan demonstrations against Chinese rule.

The statement came as international criticism against the crackdown on Tibetan protesters swelled.

A senior EU official said European countries should not rule out threatening China with an Olympic boycott if violence continues in Tibet. Republican presidential hopeful John McCain and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi also joined the growing chorus of critics.