Way back in March of 2007, I wrote about the artistic hypocrisy of Steven Spielberg being involved with the China Olympics, and many of you were surprised that my arguments went beyond ‘These people are inscrutable’ and ‘They have no tickee, they get no washee.’ China continues to knowingly underwrite mass genocide in Darfur, and for Spielberg, a man who made his adult artistic bones on the bones of six million dead Jews, to work with them was just not kosher.

Months after reading my devastating piece (remember, on the set of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Spielberg, when introduced to me, said ‘I know you.’), Spielberg has accepted my solemnly offered wisdom and left the Olympics.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to formally announce the end of my involvement as one of the overseas artistic advisers to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games,” Spielberg said in a statement released today.

“I have made repeated efforts to encourage the Chinese government to use its unique influence to bring safety and stability to the Darfur region of Sudan,” Spielberg wrote. “Although some progress has been made …the situation continues to worsen and the violence continues to accelerate.”

“With this in mind, I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual,” he added. “At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that will continue to be committed in Darfur.”

Bravo, Stevie!