McClatchy Newspapers: In the era of China’s great dynasties, it was believed that emperors could command the heavens at will. They could summon rain when it was needed or clear the skies. China’s ruling Communist Party would love to have similar powers. Clearly, it doesn’t. A defiant gray pall hung over Beijing on Thursday, one day ahead of the official start of the Summer Olympic Games, and the city’s air-pollution index continued to inch up, as it has all week, despite a series of dramatic measures …