In the summer of 2008, I had a five-part series here on NRO about the run-up to the Beijing Olympics. Here is a passage from Part III, relevant to our discussion of Thomas L. Friedman today:

In order to make way for improvements, and make the capital sightlier, the government has razed whole neighborhoods, once filled with traditional huts. There is not much thought to the people displaced. And Westerners marvel at what the Chinese authorities can accomplish, and the speed with which they can accomplish it. They are even envious. An American acting as senior adviser to the Beijing Olympic Committee said, “The ability to get things done here is really staggering. In Los Angeles, it would take endless discussions to build any structure. Here they decide to do it, and kaboom! It happens.”

Oh, yeah.