For President Obama to go to Copenhagen at the last minute, something must have been said for him to make the decision to go. After reading this article, it is all about throwing Chicago and its intel under the bus, from the White House.
I knew that Chicago getting dumped in the very first round smelled like fingerprints of Chicago politics all over it. I was not for Chicago getting the bid because I am from a city that is broken on just about every city political level with corruption. Many Chicagoans were one eye "ok" and the other eye "hell no" when it comes to Mayor Daley and crew orchestrating the Olympics. All you have to do is look at the city and its major problems to be skeptical. Finally, the killing of Derrion Albert, an honor student beaten to death going home from school and the shocking video went viral, just did it for me. Chicago's problems with teens getting killed at school, going to school, coming back from school has escalated the past three years. Did that help Chicago? I don't think it mattered with the IOC, but this killing is bothering many in the Chicagoland area. So....
Why did Obama who resisted getting involved with the Olympics go?
"The intelligence that we had from the U.S. Olympic Committee and Chicago bid team was that it was very close and therefore well worth our efforts," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House advisor. "The message was that . . . a personal appeal from the president would make a huge difference."
In the end, Obama's whirlwind appearance before the IOC proved a disappointment. Chicago lost out to Rio de Janeiro, finishing last among the four finalists. Since the defeat, the White House has defended the trip as a worthy investment of the president's time.
But Obama and his advisors were not sold on the idea until just a few days before Air Force One took off for Copenhagen.
[snip]
Throughout, the Chicago team was pushing for the president to make the trip. Daley and Patrick Ryan, chairman of Chicago 2016, were among those who told the White House that the nose count showed a presidential visit might close the sale, Jarrett said.
Let me be clear, if Chicago had gotten the Olympics it would have been Go U.S.A., all the way, with one eye on who is scammin' who, on the Daley Crew. Sorry, that is how it is here. President Obama was within his right to root for Chicago, his home town, using the excuse of the other countries sent in their top leaders is warranted. But in the end you do not let your man, the President; go out on the limb for a loss. It was a loss, temporary, but a loss. You don't set him up like that. And on Meet the Press, Mike Murphy, one of the more centrist Republicans said, "...you know Valerie Jarrett is running the White House...it was amateur staff week... you know who is running the White House...you never send the President of the United States around the world and you don't know the outcome...."
I don't know who is running the White House, that is debatable and the wording of amateur staff is a tad bit strong, but I agree that you don't send the President of the United States abroad and don't know the outcome. It is a loss, a minor one in the end, but one that President Obama will not do again.
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