PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

If athletes from around the country can compete together in the Olympics, why is it so difficult for the countries they represent to get along.

I was struck by this impression as I watched countries like Iraq, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, China, Iran and, yes, the United States, compete on the same venues, even against each other.

In other than athletic events, representatives of those same countries might be shooting at each other, or at least tempted to do so.

So a quick and probably simplistic idea is for countries to use the Olympics as a pattern for improved international relations. Compete hard, but get along.