Twinkle, twinkle dimming stars October 2 2009
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Before the United States was voted out of contention in the first round of voting by the IOC this morning (with Tokyo and before Madrid it should be noted) this video is just part of the breathless hype that passed for news on the Today Show this morning. “The Obamas were rock stars today!” gushes Alan Abrahamson to Matt Lauer. “The United States of America is reaching out to the rest of the world. Is the rest of the world ready to reach back?” is what Abrahamson wrote regarding the Chicago bid. How quickly during the course of this interview that became “Obama is reaching his hand out to the rest of the world….”
And what’s up with that bid? For the first time ever the United States Government is going to underwrite the entire shebang? How much was that going to cost the American taxpayer?
HuffPo had another piece entitled “Oprah, Michelle, Obama Light up Copenhagen. Star Power Enough for Chicago’s Olympic Bid?”
“She really is amazing. Besides the significance of an African-American president and first lady, she’s impressive at any level,” said David Robinson, who admitted he was a little star struck after meeting Mrs. Obama on Wednesday afternoon. “With her education, with her dignity, the way she carries herself, she’s tremendous.”
Don’t forget “clean and articulate” too, David. Like when she talked about the great sacrifice she made by jetting to Copenhagen for the children. Or when, she told the IOC about her father teaching her a great right hook while gang violence in the streets of Chicago was playing all over the internet. Tremendous indeed.
Over on the right, where we are somewhat less impressed with the star power of the Obamas, most of us figured that the Chicago bid was in the bag. Why else would Obama risk so much political capital, why would he rush to Copenhagen when healthcare, Afghanistan and Iran hung in the balance, unless he was assured that he could bring home a much needed victory?
We were wrong. It looks like even we underestimated Obama’s colossal ego — so sure was he of his power to charm the world with his words that he was willing to risk humiliation on the world stage. Or perhaps he made a fundamental miscalculation: perhaps he did not take into account the effect of his nine months of non-stop apologizing for the shortcomings of America, sucking up to our adversaries and abandoning our allies.
As an American, I don’t hope to see my country embarassed in front of the world to satisfy my partisan distrust of the Obamas, but he made this Olympic bid all about him. The trip to charm the International Olympic Committtee was unprecedented by an American president and was not meant to be a victory for America, but political payback for the Chicago Daley Political Machine and a feather in the cap of a President who hasn’t really tasted success since he passed the stimulus bill. It was a silly, frivolous move by a man who really has bigger issues to address; issues on which he cannot vote “present.”
Did General McChrystal get a troop committment yet?
Has Iran stopped enriching uranium?
Is the healthcare matter settled?
Is unemployment dropping?
Is the economy recovering?
And how much did this jaunt around the world cost the American taxpayers?
Star power is waning. The world sees the Emporer has no clothes.
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