WASHINGTON – At the 2006 Winter Olympics, we were reminded once again of the confluence of sports and politics. Such moments can be powerfully symbolic.

The American Jesse Owens’ spectacular performance in the 1936 Berlin Olympics humbled the Nazis on their turf three years before Hitler launched World War II. But reality confronted this black American hero when he returned home to segregation and second-class citizenship.

The 1980 “Miracle on Ice” – the underdog American Olympic ice hockey team’s victory over the Soviet Union’s seemingly unbeatable squad – remains an iconic moment in the Cold War.

And as sports has become big business, inextricable to the culture at large, American politics has attempted to attach itself to sports’ influence. Recent presidents, especially George W. Bush, have reveled in inviting national champions to the White House. Big events, such as NASCAR races, attract politicians trying to connect with everyday lives.

For the Americans, the 2006 Turin Olympics were a mirror to the culture and politics back home – and symptomatic of America’s image overseas.

The Ugly American – arrogant and seemingly oblivious to others’ thoughts – came through in the empty performance of several members of Team USA. The skiing superstar Bode Miller, who bragged about skiing drunk before the Olympics, gave new meaning to the term “Miller time,” and went home medal-less. A lesser-known teammate was sent home for fighting in a bar.

Yet the Compassionate American emerged through speedskater Joey Cheek, who exuded humility and grace, and donated his Olympic medal bonus money to charity.

But the baffling feud between American speedskater teammates Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick also reminded us of the petty, seemingly pointless bickering that often obscures the more important challenges in our politics.

The Olympics have not been the same since the Cold War ended. Athletes are not the surrogates for competing systems they were in the days when the East Germans were doping their athletes into superhuman specimens, or when President Jimmy Carter was pulling the Americans out of the 1980 summer games to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It’s easier now to cheer for good performers no matter their nationality – a truer essence of sport.

But the Olympic Games will never shed their political symbolism. The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, three months before the next presidential election, are a prime example why.

China, an emerging economic superpower, will see the Olympics as a stage for its global aspirations. Security in an age of terrorism will continue to be an important story. Iraq’s Olympic team will be fascinating to watch.

The American image around the world has suffered in the war on terrorism. If U.S. Olympians learned any lessons from Turin, they will show a lot more Cheek and engage in a lot less Miller time when the next Olympic flame is lit.