Obama jets to Copenhagen to sell Chicago Olympics

There's plenty to keep the president occupied at the White House.

Overnight, Iran tested middle-range missiles, raising the stakes of international crisis a few days before Tehran's first sit-down talks with U.S. officials. At home, the healthcare-reform initiative that the president has touted as the critical benchmark of his first year in office also faces a key week.

But the White House announced this morning that President Obama, who calls Chicago home, has decided to jet to Copenhagen overnight Thursday, arriving in time to deliver an in-person pitch Friday morning for the city's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He'll be back Friday night.

First Lady Michelle Obama had planned to head the U.S. delegation of sports and civic leaders, but with Chicago facing tough competition from Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo -- including in-person appeals from top political leaders -- sports commentators and city officials were lobbying the White House heavily to deploy the full, two-Obama charm offensive.

Earlier, when he thought the press of business would keep him at home, Obama cut a video message to the International Olympic Committee.

The high-level pitch is the first for an American president but not unprecedented for world leaders. In fact, it seems to be the new de facto requiring for a successful bid. British Prime Minister Tony Blair sealed the deal in landing the 2012 Olympics for London. Ditto Russian President Vladimir Putin in securing the 2014 Winter Games for Sochi.

-- Johanna Neuman

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Comments

[Heather]

This is why we all need to bike to work, so that liberals like Obama and Al Gore can jump on their planes any time they feel like it to jet off around world.

[netnews]

This is a total waste of tax payer dollars on the other hand he is more exposed when he travels.

[EastCoastCommentator]

It is hard to believe we are spending tax dollars for a trip of this sort.

How many hundreds of thousands of dollars does this trip cost us?

Add the aircraft, motorcade, secret service, etc. How much taxpayer money can one waste in a year?

Given all that is going on at home, what kind of foolishness is this?

[andrew nelson]

Okay, so now Chicago getting the Olympics trumps two wars?

Some Czar needs to tell him we got guys dying other there everyday, waiting for this loser to come up with a new playbook, since the new playbook he wrote in March isn't working.

Hopefully he can get around to Gen. McChrystal's assessment some time before the year we have left to make a difference in Afghanistan is over?

[jch]

What a great way for commie lib Dems to gets their hands on billions of taxpayer money. Graft...........Corruption..............Six figure jobs for family members...............[Atlas has Shrugged]

[not-a-politician]

LOL, run over us little people so the pol's and media get their ego's and wallets stuffed!! Further evidence of a populace gone. Keep seeking the lowest common denomenator america!!!

[MarK]

why is he going, i am sure he has a czar for that?

[hughglass]

As a chicagoan for Rio this scares me. My guess is chicago has come up with enough cash to buy off the entire committee and related family members (nobody does it better). My gut tells me that Barry Schickelgruber would not be making the trip unless it was a lock and he could return home ala Chamberline, waving the contract and spoutng "Peace in our time". If, on the off chance the vote will be legit, I pray that it goes to Rio..The mere thought of daley and the rest of the infamous chicago machine (including obama)getting their paws on the millions to be thrown around on this deal, is terrifying. The only sure thing is that all the work and money will go to "pay to play" cronies and a good chunk will wind up back in the campaign coffers of crooked chicago dems and obama. It's the chicago way. Love to see Christo Redentor as part of the 2016 Olympics logo!

[J Henson]

I suppose the Chicago Olympic Organizing Committee will reimburse the White House for Air Force One and other expenses? In cash, or in kind? Ah, yes: Chicago politics.

[boozy]

OH MY, what to do this week...lets see....I have a whiny general in Afghanistan who says we need 30 to 40 thousand more troops or we will loose the war, the nation is in complete meltdown, I have a bogus healthcare bill where 56 percent of the nation disapproves of it, I have double didget unemployment...oh my, what to do...I think I will go to Copenhagen....what a bonehead

[brothershen]

No to Chicago. Give it to the Brazilians. They deserve it. I am tired that to see the Olympics on the Northern Continent. Give it to the Southern Americans.

[Alarmed]

Obama has only spoken to General Stanley McChrystal once via video conferencing in the last 70 days as per the general's own words. Our soldiers die daily or get seriously hurt. Our 'commander in chief' flies around ... appears on a T.V. entertainment show ... and eats high class meals while our black and white soldiers die. What's happening here?

[ted ford]

I'm a staunch Obama supporter, but I say this is an extremely stupid thing to do.

[Marianne]

Yeah, that's an important reason to fly to Copenhagen. Deal with that while young men and women are dying in Afghanistan because POTUS isn't ready to make a decision about more troop/support for those already over there.
He's got his priorities straight.
Madrid's a beautiful city. If I had a vote, it would be chosen. Isn't Chicago humid and chock full of flying bugs in the summer?

[CB]

It's becoming increasingly, and embarrassingly, obvious that this man doesn't know how to do anything but campaign. Even worse, he obviously has no desire to learn, just wants to spend his entire term in office dashing around giving speeches. His carbon footprint must be bigger than a small city. I'm disgusted.

[GMS]

Obama must know that Chicago has already been selected. He is not big on humiliation. He wants to be there to lead the victory lap. He is big on self-glorification.

Congratulations, Chicago.

[Scott]

Great decision, let's not worry about the little stuff, such as making a decision about Afghanistan, rather let's make sure we bring an event to the U.S. that will inevitably cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Just so we're clear, I disapprove of how the president is spending his time. Commander in Chief is the job title. What a joke.

[calie]

Whereas Reagan was The Great Communicator, Obama has become The Great Avoider.
This guy can't make a decision about Afghanistan, so he's going to Denmark to sell Chicago.
What a joke he is as President. He's not a leader, he's acting more like a very bad CEO of a creaky company that's losing money faster than he can spend it.

[2 cents]

I have cronies to make a profit for! - who wants to bet that Valerie Jarret has some slums we can knock down for an Olympic site

[Friedada]

FYI:
the flight to Copenhagen takes about eight hours, so at a cost of $56,518 per hour (according to a 2006 report) to fly Air Force One, the cost to taxpayers for this trip is roughly $904,288.

Since Michelle Obama is traveling separately, she has separate costs...

Our tax dollars hard at work! Why can't they ride share together...where is the green initiative here...

[steve rodriguez]

Will he sell The Olympic committee on the fact that Chicago leads the league in murders in the street?

[Mike]

Hey all you hard working, anti Obama , No to Chicago Olympics, so called Americans...... How come you are all blogging during working hours? To much time on your hands? Not enough to do at work? Your boss needs to put his foot up all your asses.

[Ticked OFF]

WHAT? A personal trip to try and win the Olympic site for his buddies. And to top it off NO-BAMA drags the Queen of spending along as well!

1.) I want to know just how much it ACTUALLY costs the American Taxpayers for this worthless trip.

2.) How much does it cost to prostitute the presidency (small letter for a reason) for a Talk show? I hope the hell the people of this country impeach this worthless president beofre he drags the entire country into the toilet.

[robert firth]

Obama was elected by a fluke. Few of the white voters really bothered to check into his background and the blacks just voted color. Everything Beck has said about obama, van jones, cass sunstien, mark Lloyd, et al, is absolutely true and, in most cases, he used their own words to prove his point. Obama is a radical who wants to destroy the white middle class by destroying their savings and monetary system. He so far is getting pretty close. Quantitative easing and monetizing the debt plus the absurd non working stimulus are giant steps toward destruction. If he gets his way with government health care and cap and trade, the country will be finished………anyone not seeing that as a distinct possibility either hasn’t read the bills or is a brain dead obamaton……A government trying to spend and print itself out of a recession or depression is akin to a man standing in a bucket trying to lift himself by the handle…….. It don’t work…….