Olympics Defeat: How Much Does It Hurt Obama?

It's a big disappointment for Chicago, but how big a hit was yesterday's Olympic Committee put-down of the US's 2016 bid for the president, who stuck his neck out to go to bat for it? Of course Rush Limbaugh said it was huge, the "worst day" of Obama's presidency, and Obama had "wasted his country's time, and his prestige." Democrats, even some who advised against the trip, said it was "a stumble, not a fall," and the president should get points for trying.

 

Olympics watchers said the first-round upset showed ignorance of Olympic Committee politics on the part of the Chicago backers, the administration, or both, Politico reports. White House officials said the president would never have made the trip if he hadn't been assured by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley that the bid was within striking distance. But GOP analysts urged restraint in piling on the president: Glee over this failure could come off as anti-American. (More 2016 Olympics stories.)