OLYMPIC SIZED DEFEAT

No, not the Olympic Games in Chicago.  I mean the race to criticize President Obama, for personally traveling to Copenhagen to seal the deal of getting the Summer Olympic Games to Chicago in 2016, but instead losing out to Rio de Janeiro without even making the second round of votes!

`

Originally, the president said he would not travel to convince the Olympic committee to bring the games back to America, because other pressing issues such as health care were consuming his time.  However, after some light arm twisting from his senior advisor, friend, and fellow Chicagoan Valerie Jarrett, Mr. Obama “pulled a 180,” changed his mind, and traipsed off to Copenhagen with Mrs. Obama and Oprah Winfrey in tow.  Normally, the President of the United States would not personally make such a trip unless an agreement was already in place and his presence would simply seal the deal.  But it wasn’t.  Despite Mr. Obama’s universally known charm and power of persuasion, his in-person plea for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Games fell flat.  Chicago was an expected front-runner heading into Friday’s voting.  But not only did it lose, it took last place — shocking nearly everybody after getting knocked out in merely the first round.  It was a hugely embarrassing defeat for a President whose critics consider him more celebrity than statesman.  And now they will have a field day with this defeat, which will almost certainly provide fuel for their fire that Mr. Obama has taken on too much, too soon.

`

So if you hear a great sucking sound outside, it’s the Republicans salivating at Mr. Obama’s great-big-embarrassing setback.  Look for them in the news all week to dissect the issue into pieces.  But congratulations to Rio, for getting the games to South America for the first time ever in the Olympics 120 year history.  And now that you’re back on U.S. soil Mr. President, please let’s just get health care done!