OK, sure, China has an authoritarian government. A totalitarian government. Ostensibly a Communist one, though it doesn’t quite have the feel of the two other Big Red countries I visted — Cuba and East Germany.

But this isn’t a free-wheeling democracy, by any means.

Still, you have to give China this:

It can make things run on time.

Remember the back-handed compliment given to Benito Mussolini when he was Italy’s fascist dictator? “He made the trains run on time” — no small feat in Italy.

So far, I have been very impressed by the logistical efficiency of the Beijing organizers.

Everything runs on time. There are no lines. No snags. No waits.

Reporters and fans seem to be wasting little or no time because there aren’t enough ticket-takers, or the buses didn’t show up or because there aren’t enough magnetometers at a venue.

This is unusual for a big event such as an Olympics. I mean, we have 15 days to go, but so far …

China is just kickin’ butt, when it comes making things run smoothly. It could be mostly a function of a government that gets what it wants.

Whatever it is, these Games are running with the precision of a Swiss watch. So, yes, there are upsides to one-party rule.