The post-mortem on the Chicago bid for the Olympic games comes from Illinois Senator Roland Burris:“You know who is to blame for us losing the Olympics? Bush.”
And Jesse Jackson said the same thing:
"The way we [refused to sign] the Kyoto Treaty, we misled the world into Iraq. The world had a very bad taste in its mouth about us. But there was such a turnaround after last November. The world now feels better about America and about Americans. That's why I thought the president's going was the deal-maker."
And from Susana Mendoza of the Illinois State House:
"I travel a lot. ... I thought we had really turned a corner with the election of President Obama. People are so much more welcoming of Americans now. But this isn't the people of those countries. This is the leaders still living with outdated impressions of Americans."
Perhaps these good folks forgot what David Axelrod, Obama’s PR chief, said back in April: “I think what has happened is that anti-Americanism isn’t cool anymore.”
In the White House as they lick their wounds all agree that Obama needs to do more to “reboot” America’s image around the world. He’s sure having trouble with those campaign promises.
In any case, we thank Roland for his insights and look for the second, third, and fourth revision of that statement before we take it to represent what he really meant. That’s how Burris operates, you know.
Chicago lost its bid for the 2016 Olympics in the first round of IOC voting.
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