Tel-Chai Nation

Barack Obama went to Copenhagen hoping to gain support for organizing the 2016 Olympic Games in his hometown of Chicago. Unfortunately, Windy City ended up being the very first burg disqualified from the choices for the next host (Hat tip: Hot Air):

In a stunning development, Chicago was the first city eliminated on Friday in IOC voting to be host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics. [...]

His wife tugged at IOC members’ heart strings by discussing her late father, who had multiple sclerosis. She recounted sitting on his lap, watching Olympians such as Carl Lewis and Nadia Comaneci compete, and how her father “taught me how to throw a ball and a mean right hook.”

“My dad would have been so proud to witness these games in Chicago,” she said.

Obama didn't even stick around to face the humiliation:

Throngs watching the voting in downtown Chicago’s Daley Plaza gasped in disappointment as the announcement was made.

United States Olympic Committee leaders appeared stunned by the news and had no comment as they left the voting hall. Mr. Obama was flying back to Washington at the time of the vote.

One of the main factors that scuttled Chicago's chances of being elected was the negative reputation they're getting, including school violence:

Luciano Reyes speculated that Chicago was undone by a negative reputation internationally.

“The violence in the schools became an international issue, and all the corruption, the rest of the world just sees us as Crook Town,” said Reyes, 59, currently unemployed, who bought his first TV two decades ago specifically to watch the Olympics.

I won't be surprised if former governor Blagojevich's record also served to scuttle their chances. The next Olympic host will be Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro.

Update: Tokyo's governor blames the failure of Japan to win the hosting on politics. He may be more right than we think.

Others on the subject include Riehl World View, The Lonely Conservative, Michelle Malkin, Fire Andrea Mitchell, IMAO, McNorman's Weblog, Okie on the Lam in LA, Only a Liberal, Webloggin, Bunkerville, Jammie Wearing Fool, Right Wing News, Little Miss Attila, Northern Thoughts and Reflections, Voting Female Speaks, Hard Starboard, Six Meat Buffet, Snark and Boobs, Flopping Aces, Temple of Mut, Shyspeak, Chicks on the Right, Urban Grounds, The Snooper Report, Voting Female Friends Speak, Paxalles, Commentary's Contentions, Pajamas Media, Daily Pundit, The Liberty Boys.

Labels: Asia, Europe, Japan, Latin America, political corruption, Scandanavia, United States