Presidential Stature Diminished

Taking a risk of appearing ineffectual, President Obama went to Copenhagen with his wife Michelle and Oprah Winfrey to argue for Chicago's selection to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The effort did not pay off as Chicago was eliminated in the first round of cuts this morning. Will Obama get partial credit for at least trying? Or will people conclude that his strong arm efforts backfired and hurt Chicago's chances? Some in Illinois who were hoping for a major boost to the local economy will be left wondering if they lost out because the impression of heavy handed tactics lead the Olympic Committee to believe they'd look weak if they gave in to Obama's demands.

Separately, realizing that the Olympic Committee's past is almost as corrupt as Chicago maybe the real answer is just that the other cities offered bigger bribes.

Regardless of how the decision was made, this moment won't likely be a highlight of the tour of Obama's presidential library.