Obama Heads To Denmark To Lobby For 2016 Olympics

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is on his way to Denmark to help his adopted hometown of Chicago try to land the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Obama departed the White House on Thursday evening for an overnight flight to Copenhagen.

On Friday, he and first lady Michelle Obama are scheduled to make presentations before members of the International Olympic Committee, which will choose a host for the 2016 Games.

The Obamas' hometown of Chicago is competing against Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid.

Mrs. Obama arrived in Copenhagen on Wednesday and has met with several IOC members.

The president is scheduled to return to the White House on Friday afternoon.

Comments

[DCBarrister]

This is nonsense.

The Republicans are here in DC doubling down to block healthcare for millions of Americans and Obama is off cavorting with Oprah in Denmark. And that's not even talking about the quagmire in Afghanistan.

Keep the change.

Hillary 2012

[postman66]

When is the last time a sitting President lost in his own primary? Quick without Google. DC Barrister, LMAO. I thought you were a smart boy.

[DCBarrister]

You're an Obama supporter...that automatically means you're allergic to thinking.

When is the last time? There's always a first time, right "change-o-holic"

Hillary 2012

[postman66]

By the way he met with General McCristyal while in Denmark. See two birds with one stone.

[PoliticalAmazon]

LOL, now THAT would be the Obama Party Boy mentality...

Not only neglect the nation to serve his cronies in Chicago by flying to Denmark to beg for the Olympic games, running up (for his trip alone) a $10million hit on the taxpayers...

...But taking McChrystal away from his command, fly him at the taxpayer's expense to Denmark for something that could have been done over the phone.

Party on, Barak!

[iceage7]

Nothing like RIO and the women. Trust me these IOC officials will vote for RIO coz of the most beautiful women in the world..bikinis, nice bodies, beautiful skin..u cant beat that. While in chicago...what did cafferty say..LOL!

[Gretel1or2]

So is that what Olympics are about - ogling women?

[DCBarrister]

For me they are.
I'm certainly not wasting my time tuning in to the Olympic games because I have to see who wins the Gold in the shot put.

[iceage7]

Ok. i guess when Palin is president she will vouch for alaskaaa

[wanttruth]

I'm glad President Obama and First Lady Michelle are trying to bring the Olympics to America. I hope they succeed. Illinois and the surrounding areas need the jobs!

[AlexKTahoma]

Why is he pushing for the Olympics in 2016 when he WON'T BE IN OFFICE? There's a lot of problems here in the U.S. right now Obama. We need them taken care of instead of the Olympics.

[VOTER]

If Chicago wins the bid, preparations and construction to host the Olympics will begin almost immediately
JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!

President Obama will be out of the country for a SINGLE DAY AND WILL BE WORKING
on AIR FORCE ONE.

[wanttruth]

Well said.

[PoliticalAmazon]

It will bring DEBT DEBT DEBT!

Chicago is the wrong place for the Olympics, and America is the wrong place because of the state of our economy.

We cannot afford the Obamas' vanity too much longer. $10million for Obama's trip to Denmark! It's absurd, and it shows a real disconnect from the American people.

[ekoorb]

It will be his last summer as POTUS (after re-election in 2012)! Some events would be very near his Hyde Park home.

[VOTER]

True.

Many years ago, my grandparents lived in this neighborhood which is, also,
near the University of Chicago.

[DCBarrister]

Good point.

Maybe hosting the Olympics will keep Barack Obama busy after the Presidency.

[PoliticalAmazon]

He won't be president after 2012. He's destroying his own reelection chances for winning.

[JoelTahoma]

Obama should not give priority to minor matters such as this. He is ignoring the worlds affairs that have more weight than the location of the next season of Olympic games. For every waking hour that he spends on pointless matters. Although this is a nice gesture of faith of community in their leader and vice versa, this is not legitimately a time worthy activity for the president to partake in. He should concentrate more on affairs which effect the lives and liberties of people immensely.

[postman66]

Is in Copanhagen less than 24 hours, geez.

[PoliticalAmazon]

If Obama had not neglected so many duties and problems in America for the last 9 months, this vanity trip would not be such a big issue.

He's proving himself to be the Party Boy first and the leader of our country second. No, wait, he actually hasn't done much leading so far, so what we voted for turned out be nothing better than a Party Boy.

Maybe $10million for his trip to Denmark isn't much to you, but to the Americans trying to afford food to feed their children, or trying to find housing for the night--it's a lot of money.

[praetorxv]

I am honestly curios as to why he would spend government time and money to pursue an hosting of the olympics for his home town, he's the president not the master of ceremonies. Time to stop planning games and start running the country.

[iceage7]

Chicago is also america. R u a birther...Oh by the way hawii is too.

[VOTER]

True, Obama will not be the "Master of Ceremonies" but will have much more power and
control.

President Obama went to Denmark to pick up his stopwatch for the Games.
He will be the #1 Olympic Race Timer. He will decide which Olympians win. Imagine!
The stopwatch is solid GOLD and he gets to keep it. Value: $1 trillion. Non-taxable income.

While he is in Denmark supporting the USA's bid for the Olympics in 2016, he is, also,
attempting to erase the World Image of George vacationing for 4 days at the Olympics
held in China.

Do you recall how proud you were of G.W. Bush then?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/10/president-bush-not-so-goo_n_118037.html

[PoliticalAmazon]

Didn't you read the HuffPost article about the big-bucks contributors to Obama who are on the 2016 Olympic Committee?

It's all about the Obamas and their cronies in Chicago.

It's a small-town mentality from a man who is supposed to be leading us on a national level.

And he doesn't even really care about his hometown. Now TWO young men have been brutally beaten, one having died, in Chicago.

Yet President Obama parties on.

[DCBarrister]

If it doesn't involve Letterman, Leno or Conan...it's not a priority for our Reaganite president, Barack Obama.

Keep the change.

Hillary 2012

[walk0nwalls]

Priorities?

[wagthedog1001]

American jobs.

[cmj707]

Thank you, some people are so slow.

[wanttruth]

I co-sign!

[PoliticalAmazon]

Obama's time can be spent more effectively if his goal is to create jobs. The amount of jobs, short-term jobs, generated by the Olympics is peanuts compared to the number of jobs that have been lost since he became president.

But then his goal in going to Denmark is not to create jobs. It's his vanity, and his desire to serve his cronies in Chicago.

We have a politician with a two-bit local mentality in a national-level leadership role, the presidency.

[scornflakes]

Prediction: President Obama is going on to either Iraq or Afghanistan or both after Copenhagen.

[PoliticalAmazon]

When pigs fly.

[jhw22]

Good call. I hope you're right.

Jennifer

[Winston120]

The Obama's are trying to convince a bunch of degenerate, corrupt, 60-90 year olds to give Chicago the Olympics.

Unemployment stats come out Friday, sportsfans and we are galloping towards double digits (officially).

[wagthedog1001]

Uh... With the Olympics in Chicago do you not think that would create some jobs?

[Winston120]

Oh, you think winning the 2016 (I'll do the math for you, seven years from now) is going to help with > 10% unemployment we have NOW?

O himself has said he wants this as the cherry on his two terms as president.

[cmj707]

Wishing you safe travels Mr. President, and may your trip be a great success! Bring it home!

[wanttruth]

Good post!

[VOTER]

Kudos!

Well said.

[DreamerWeaver]

Our president showed class and graciousness when he congratulated the winning nation for the Olympics -- and it is about time the Olympics went to the southern hemisphere, to the tropics. It is their turn. That is a good decision.

[edwarvir]

I am hopin and a Prayin for you to
bring the GOLD back home. I love you Mr President
and our First Lady , they always have our best
interest at heart.

[TrueThis]

It amaze me how quick we can forget George W. Bush spending 4 days...let me repeat myself 4 DAYS in Beijing cheering in the stands while holding the American flag upside down and giving one of our volleyball players a high five on the behind while we had soliders in Iraq and Afghanisan risking their lives for this country.

The ones that are complaining about our President going to Denmark are just jealous and mad that their previous president couldn't walk and chew at the same time. Good Luck Mr. President.

[Berettasskeeter]

You folks won't let us forget, and rightly so. However, Liberals castigated Bush for it, but now it seems to be okay for Obama to do the same. How is that? Oh, and by the way, the President who is so concerned about the Global Warming nonsense allowed his wife to double up and take a separate jet to Copenhagen. How is that okay with the Left??
Semper fi

[Joe001]

There's a difference between attending someone else's Olympics as a spectator and working to try and get the event for the U.S. And the First Lady went early to lobby for the U.S. at meetings prior to the President's availability. It's not like she left for Copenhagen early to do some shopping.

[DCBarrister]

That's the point.

Barack Obama isn't on the left, nor is he a liberal. Obama is a professed Reaganite and a con. The man saw a chance to negate race and win the White House by running as a Democrat.

He's been governing from the right every since.

We didn't need another Republican president wasting time on dalliances, we had 8 years of that.

[DreamerWeaver]

B: You are not serious. You must be playing devil's advocate. Otherwise, your post is irrational.

[PoliticalAmazon]

Illogical argument. You are comparing apples and oranges.

Bush attended the Olympic games, which is something American presidents routinely do.

Obama is doing something an American president has never done before, traveling to the IOCC to beg for the games.

This makes the presidency and our country look weaker than it was before, and it makes Obama look like a politician who is unable to appropriately prioritize for the jof of leading a nation.

[DCBarrister]

And how bad have things gotten when Obama supporters are comparing Mr. Change to Dubya to justify his mistakes?

Keep the change.

Hillary 2012

[shaytahoma]

I like to see that the president supports Illinois. To me, to see anyone from the federal government supporting for a state, shows more of a connection to our country. And to see Obama lobby for something other than being re-elected is good.

[greenwlu]

If he gave a rat's a$$ about states' rights, then I might be able to agree with you there; however, the man is in love with anything that can grow the size of our imperial federal government and reduce the power of the states.

[Gretel1or2]

Good luck Mr. President and have a safe trip to and from Denmark!! We have your back Mr. President. Give the Danes our peace and love!

[SuiginTou7]

Tin foil R Us

[celtic08]

then I guess you must really hate Dubya since he is the one that grew the "imperial federal government"!

[Arne8]

Wow, can you say "wrong priorities"?
Health care reform just took another hit, financial reform is MIA, and the prosecution of human rights violations DOA, just to stick with the metaphor.
Granted, by 2016, we want to be out of this recession, heading straight to the next one, but in my opinion the bread-and-games kind of feelgood escapism that the Olympiad has become isn't exactly what we need to focus on right now.
What the hell!

[Gretel1or2]

Good luck Mr. President and have a safe trip to and from Denmark!! We have your back Mr. President

[wagthedog1001]

So you don't want the $$$ and jobs having the Olympics here would bring?

Why do you want that somewhere else?

[PoliticalAmazon]

Obama is destroying his own legacy. He's showing himself unfit to lead our nation.

[DCBarrister]

Barack Obama, unfit to lead our nation? Just like his role model, Ronald Reagan. The elephant never falls far from the tree.

Keep the change.

Hillary 2012