Will He or Won't He Go? Even Bo Doesn't Know

The Obamas taking in a judo exhibition during an event at the White House to support Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Games.The NY times reminds us that we can blame Tony Blair for setting the bar so high in terms of the pressure on POTUS to be in Copenhagen. In 2005, Blair and his wife, Cherie, traveled to the vote in Singapore to lobby for London’s bid for the 2012 Games. Underdog London defeated Paris, and Blair’s last-minute efforts were said to have won the day.

I do recall that unexpected victory from Blair, and perhaps I'm being too hard on POTUS over not letting Michelle handle the appearance before the IOC on her own. And "alone" she hardly is, especially with Oprah in tow.

In 2007 in Guatemala City, at the next I.O.C. vote to choose a host city, Vladimir V. Putin, then the president of Russia, addressed the membership in English, pushing for Sochi, Russia, to host the 2014 Games. Sochi won.

I trust you know that the advance team has been in Copenhagen, so POTUS can hit the tarmac at the last moment. With the incredible amount that must be done here in the US, it amazes me that the IOC would penalize the President for not coming.

GamesBids.com reports that two "highly placed sources within the Olympic movement, who spoke on the condition of anonymity", said that President Obama's participation in Chicago's final presentation to IOC members would probably be "a game changer in the host city voting".

That's politics, I suppose.

Stay tuned. Anne

More Reading: The London Times weighs in with a good article: Will Barack Obama make IOC date? Chicago hopes 'Yes he can'.