danajohnhill.org | Hard Times Come Again No More

I do not understand the resentment being directed at President Obama over Chicago’s failed Olympic bid.  Sure, the president flew to Copenhagen to address the International Olympic Committee.  And, sure, Chicago wasn’t awarded the Olympics.  But the people who are asking if Obama made a huge mistake are making foolish, false analogies.  This wasn’t like a coach calling a risky play that doesn’t work out, losing the game for the team.  Obama didn’t have a Mitt Romney level of involvement in this venture.  All he did was fly to Denmark, make a speech, and go home.  But–oh, no!–he spent all that time flying across the ocean when our country is in such terrible economic danger!  Really?  Many of the people griping about Obama’s trip are the same people who defended President Bush and his 490 days of vacation in Crawford by saying that he was still working.   And we were in plenty of danger while he was president.  As those people pointed out at the time, the president is never out of reach, whether in Washington or Crawford.  And Air Force One is the most “connected” aircraft on earth.  Were tax dollars wasted to take Obama all the way to Europe?  I guess.  But weren’t tax dollars wasted to take President Bush on seventy-seven trips to Texas?  Or to fly Air Force One over NASCAR race tracks?

The facts are these: If you’ve ever been to Chicago, you know it’s an amazing city, and would be a great Olympic host.  But Rio was going to win the Olympics no matter what.  South America has never held an Olympic games, and, really, it was due.

Obama wanted to go to bat for his home town and his country.  The leaders of the other bidding countries did the same thing.  This isn’t a big deal.

Filed under: Current Events, Politics, Sports on October 3rd, 2009