WaPo - Disappointed White House Struggles to Explain Chicago's Defeat...

[spanone]

wanna read a bullshit article from the times??? here ya go

i'm sure they are disappointed but to question the President's global popularity???? c'mon

~snip~

With the stunning news that Olympic officials had swiftly rejected Chicago as host the 2016 Olympics, despite a personal, last-minute appeal from President Obama, the White House was left Friday with the immediate and difficult challenge of explaining what happened.

Did the president falter by making remarks that were emotional and personal, rather than giving specifics about his adopted home town? Is the defeat a sign that Obama's global popularity has begun to wane?

White House advisers -- many of them Chicago natives, with a personal stake in the bid -- rushed into the back recesses of the West Wing to digest the outcome, and then emerged, looking glum, to comment.

"Obviously, it was disappointing," senior adviser David Axelrod said on CNN from the North Lawn of the White House. "We wanted Chicago to get this. We wanted the U.S. to host the Olympics. The president made a very strong appeal, and it didn't work out, but it was well worth the effort."

Axelrod blamed the internal machinations of the International Olympic Committee for the rejection. He argued that the bid by Madrid was led by a former president of the IOC, who was calling in years' worth of favors, and that Rio de Janeiro, trying to become the first South American host, had a strong case as well.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/02/AR2009100202779_pf.html

[AllentownJake]

1. By our own standard set by our government in 1980

We don't deserve an Olympics.

[Bonhomme Richard]

2. I can explain it in four words................

right wing wacko teabaggers.

[LeftHander]

23. ding ding ding

[TxRider]

25. IMO it's got nothing to do with the U.S.

And much more to do with South America never having hosted an Olympics, and Brazil making a good proposal.

South America deserves it IMO, and Brazil deserves to be able to join the global community including hosting Olympic games. To step up on the world stage in a big way.

Chicago would have been nice, but we've hosted how many in the U.S.?

[tblue]

3. Obama doesn't lose very often, I've noticed. And, in the scheme of things, this 'loss' is not

important.

Maybe he will come away a better man for suffering this defeat I was glad to see him break the bonds of caution that seem to hold him these days. I am tired of 'Mr. Middle of the Road.'

[dysfunctional press]

4. the loss was more about bush's presidency than obama's...

the world is showing it's disdain for our practices.

[spanone]

5. that's a big bingo !!!!!!

[Sultana]

6. Or maybe that the Olympic has never been held in South America

That's why it came down to Madrid & Rio.

Tokyo had no chance because of China 2008. And the US has already staged the Olympics... Or maybe the large number of ppl in Chicago not wanting it....

[BumRushDaShow]

7. +1

It is South America's turn.

[dysfunctional press]

13. "That's why it came down to Madrid & Rio..."

psst- madrid isn't in south america.

:eyes:

[Sultana]

20. LOL, did you read the rest...

I guess NOT!

But nice try.

[dysfunctional press]

29. i couldn't get past the ignorance of someone suggesting that madrid is somehow part of south america

:shrug:

[MiniMe]

14. Why would Madrid make a difference, it is not in South America?

And Barcelona held the Olympics pretty recently. I understand that it probably has more to do with Samaranch (sp?), but not for the reason you gave. Besides, the 2012 Olympics is in London. Good for Rio, but I think Chicago should have gotten farther than it did. If Tokyo had no chance because of China, Madrid should have had no chance because of London.

[Sultana]

21. Ask the IOC. it should have been Rio vs. Chicago

Chicago getting the boot first in my opinion was a bit fishy.

[Cha]

17. Exactly, but the washed out post is so ignorant of facts

they have to make up shit as they waddle along.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. ...

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouFailGeographyForever

I added the very last item in that page just for you.

[Lagomorph]

26. It was a rare opportunity for the world to bitch slap us.

We should take the point to heart and start walking our talk.

Just because we can do some things, doesn't mean we should.

There's a lot of people in the world who needed the $11 trillion we've borrowed more than we do.

[jenniferj]

8. The USA is not that popular internationally...Though Obama is..

It is the teabaggers and Republican racism and hatred which is the image of America abroad right now. Rio on comparison is a tolerant, liberal nation.

[BlooInBloo]

9. Clearly the Obama Presidency is a failure.

:rofl:

[TomClash]

10. Maybe he could have made some calls to Senators instead

A public option is far more important than this media driven drivel.

[thereismore]

11. This was a war in which the defeated party gets to enjoy the Olympics from the comfort of our homes.

[Barack_America]

12. Yes, because everything is a referendum on Obama.

Olympic bids.

Whether I choose paper or plastic.

Everything is about Obama.

[Blue_Tires]

15. in ALL of these news stories WHY is it never mentioned

that the Chicago bid was a weak one to begin with? WHY are all these stories framing the issue as if Obama was in complete charge of the city's bid from the start instead of the last-second, 99-yard hail-mary pass from the backup QB that it was??

if they had followed the bid process from the start, known olympic history and examined each candidate city's positives and negatives, WHY is it "stunning?" to see Chicago passed over?? (especially when there were more than a few chicago folks on the news and in print saying they didn't want it and griping about the cost -- think the IOC is going somewhere where the people aren't 100 percent on board??)

and knowing the history of glad-handing and backroom deals of the IOC, WHY is this supposed to be some kind of 'referendum' on his global popularity?? The other two world leaders going home empty-handed: Do you think any of their people will say shit other than "you tried your best??"

[Cha]

16. Fucking washed up post.. PO didn't "lose" because

he went and tried. The only losers are the ones who don't try and that would be the fooking washington post who gave up a long freaking time ago.

[spanone]

18. amen

[LeftHander]

22. REPUBLICANS created a unsafe environment in the U.S.

Extreme right wing hatred of Obama has created a unsafe environment for a international event like the Olympics.

The Right has already gone against Obama's support for a Chicago olympics.

So why would they come here and put the event at risk by a unstable divided nation with extremists in the media spewing hate and AND...

THEY HAVE NEVER SUPPORTED THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.

Hated France, Hated the UK, Hate the Middle East, Hate China, Hate Korea....blah blah blah.

NO WONDER.

BLAME THE RIGHT!

[Lagomorph]

30. What does that accomplish?

Republicans haven't controlled the larger cities since the age of the robber barons.

The USA has given more non-military aid to the international community than any other nation. We were still giving economic aid to China when they launched their first manned space mission.

We've been paying Russia to secure their nuclear resources and destroy their chemical weapons, as well as taking care of our own and several other nations.

Don't ask me to hate this country. There's lots of room for improvement but hate is a luxury we can't afford.

What have you got to offer, that will unify and improve America, that doesn't involve blindfolds and firing squads?

[smoochpooch]

24. Other nations don't want to be shouted down by dipshits.

They don't want armed protesters crying "Socialism" during games that are supposed to transcend politics. The WH should blame the teabaggers and RWers who are actively trying to make Obama and America fail. But more likely it was just Rio's time and I'm kind of glad they won.

[Jennicut]

27. People we are talking about the Olympics of all things....the freakin Olympics!

War, unemployment, health care...there are so many other issues to worry about. But no, the media wants us to argue and worry about....

THE OLYMPICS!

It is like so irrelevant to what is happening in the world right now. Its minuscule. And its a distraction.
The President made an appeal, the IOC decided to go with Rio. It's not like Obama got us bombed by a nuke or, better yet, had terrorists invade us. And yet, the WH is struggling. OMG! Oh noes!

F*ck the media.

Does anyone else find the national conversation of the world by the MSM ridiculous on a daily basis or is it just me? Never mind, most of us agree it is.

[Wizard777]

28. You can't win them all. I would rather have the UN firmly behind Obama than the Olympics

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

31. If you treat international visitors like criminals....

They might choose to congregate elsewhere, end of story.