Chicago 2016 Olympics – in the bag?
Who knows, but some are speculating President Obama’s decision to be present in Copenhagen for the presentation to the Olympic Committee means Chicago has unofficially gotten the nod for Summer 2016. I agree.
Ramesh Ponnuru over at NRO’s The Corner figures there is no way he’d go if they didn’t give Obama the wink-wink, nod-nod when it comes to the vote scheduled for Oct. 2. He’s not flying over to give a presentation, he’s flying over to ensure he gets partial credit for bringing the games to Chicago.
Some people seem to think that the president is taking time away from more important things to go to Copenhagen to lobby for Chicago to get the 2016 games. They’re wrong. He is taking time away from more important things to go get the credit for bringing the Olympics to Chicago. Does anyone seriously believe that the president would take a quick trip to Copenhagen with the possibility of coming back empty-handed? If the president is going, it’s because he knows that Chicago has already won. He’s going.
Jim Geraghty notes the president was too busy to promote Chicago in Copenhagen two weeks ago.
The fact that Obama is going signals that Chicago is getting the Olympics, right? Would Obama go if he hadn’t been told that his attendance was the difference-maker? Would the IOC have the nerve to reject the hometown of the president, after every international elite spent the last two years telling Americans to elect this man?
And with allied reinforcements in Afghanistan few and far between, Iran shooting off missiles, trade wars with China, Mexico, and Canada, Russia ignoring the “reset button,” doesn’t Obama need a big foreign win right now?
If Chicago doesn’t get the Olympics, we’ll hear a lot of people noting that Obama can’t find time to meet with General McChrystal to decide on his Afghanistan plan, but he could find the time to go Denmark to get rejected…
As a reminder, Obama has met with his Afghanistan commander once in the last 70 days.
Update: Malkin reminds us about the White House efforts to bring the Olympics to Chicago, while refusing to provide transparency concerning who’s working there or what their budget is.
4 Comments
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I am glad he doesn't have anything more important to spend his time on.
I sense that if President Obama DID NOT GO, and it would not be of a suprise, if the IOC may have WARNED him to get himself over to Copenhagen or Chicago will not win hosting rights to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Chicago.
It's not like he's busy doing anything right now. He doesn't talk to his generals, health care's a mess…but lets try to help our home town folks!! I'm sure none of his friends would benefit from the Olympics going to Chicago!!
I wonder if Obama is the President of the United States or is he the President of Chicago? Michelle Obama is flying over to Denmark in her 757 and Obama is flying over in his 747. Why two planes? Who is paying for the cost of the flights? City of Chicago or the taxpayers of the US?