Can You Blame Obama for Olympic Loss?

Rory Cooper / October 02, 2009

After today’s announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that Rio de Janeiro, Brazil would be the host of the 2016 Olympics, supporters and opponents of the President immediately began debating his impact on the decision. This was a debate that had been simmering for a week, due in no small part to the revelation that the President had spent considerably less time than one would expect with his U.S. Commander in Afghanistan. His presence in Copenhagen was also not assisted by another devastating round of unemployment numbers announced this morning, bringing U.S. unemployment to the brink of 10%.

So can you blame President Obama for not bringing home the gold? The answer is no, but his arrogance was certainly on full display. Any U.S. President would have been expected to proudly make the sales pitch for Chicago, and America as a whole, but the way President Obama went about it was very indicative of the way he leads on more pressing domestic and international issues. (more…)