…ahh, who cares. I haven’t watched the Olympics in years and don’t intend to start now, even if Chicago is indeed granted the games. I don’t believe they’re worth the hassle, either, nevermind the fact that such events are prone to corruption besides. However, I have been monitoring President Obama’s efforts on Chicago’s behalf; here is part of what he said to the IOC:

No one expects the Games to solve our collective challenges. But we do believe that in a world where we have too often witnessed the darker aspects of our humanity, peaceful competition between nations represents what is best about our humanity. It brings us together, if only for a few weeks, face to face. It helps us understand one another just a little better. It reminds us that no matter how or where we differ, we all seek our own measure of happiness, and fulfillment, and pride in what we do. And that is a very powerful starting point for progress.

Nearly one year ago, on a clear November night, people from every corner of the world gathered in the city of Chicago or in front of their televisions to watch the results of the U.S. Presidential election. Their interest wasn’t about me as an individual. Rather, it was rooted in the belief that America’s experiment in democracy still speaks to a set of universal aspirations and ideals. It sprung from the hope that in this ever-shrinking world, our diversity could be a source of strength and cause for celebration; and that with sustained work and determination, we could learn to live and prosper together during the fleeting moment we share on this Earth.

Forget the platitudes about how the Games bring nations together, blah blah blah. (Hey, instead of further sanctioning Iran, lets just play a pick-up game of basketball with them!) Notice how this is, once again, kinda sorta about Obama? In almost every speech, you can bank on him talking about how his election was some watershed moment where America was taken out of the darkness and into the light, where the ideals and aspirations our democracy is supposed to embody were affirmed anew because he won. Its all about the O. Sorry, but the America of October 2008 was pretty much the same as the America of December 2008, or February of 2009. The fact we don’t have to worry about being gunned down as we go to the polls (unless we live, ironically enough, in Chicago) says so much more about our “experiment in democracy” than any one man’s election ever will.

UPDATE: I guess Michelle Obama’s sacrifice was all for naught. Chicago eliminated…in the first round. Wow:

Chicago was eliminated in the first ballot of voting for the 2016 Olympics on Friday, a stunning defeat for the city that was expected to be one of the two finalists. Not even the presence of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama — nor a long list of celebrities — was enough to help the United States’ third-largest city.

Still a good idea for Obama to make the trip, considering the troubles in Afghanistan and today’s unemployment numbers?

Heh: