If the Olympics were a referendum on comparative ideologies, then I suggest radical Islam is about through. A number of Muslim countries participated, with their audiences of millions back home glued to televisions. Most of their athletes and supporters in China nevertheless looked and acted indistinguishably from the Westernized others. To the extent a very rare Muslim woman competed in an event, and in rarer cases still felt the need for some sort of ridiculous, jerry-rigged, full-bodied stifling sports suit, it earned solace, if not quiet snickering, hardly copy-cating.

Meanwhile, host China, and other mammoth nations like India and Brazil, were doing their all to field teams that emulated American-style fashion, zeal, and competitiveness. Like it or not, most choose the speedo over the veil.