Obama to Front Chicago's Olympics Bid

(CBS/AP)  President Barack Obama is taking his support for Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics one step further -- he plans to make a personal appeal to the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen on his adopted hometown's behalf.

The White House says Obama and the first lady will "both make presentations to the IOC during Friday's session" in Denmark. It says they will "discuss why Chicago is best to host" the games.

"I think he hopes that he can make a strong case for Chicago and America's bid for the Olympics in 2016," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday afternoon. "Obviously, any Olympics showcases the country that those Olympics are in, and there's a tangible economic benefit to those games being here, and the -- the president wants to help out America's bid."

Obama would be the first U.S. president to appeal in person to the IOC for an Olympics event. He's already sent letters to some committee members, promising a "spectacular Olympic experience for one and all."

Chicago is going up against Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo. The committee makes its decision Friday, and heads of state representing Rio and Madrid are already scheduled to attend the IOC meeting that day.

Rio's bid to take the Olympics to South America for the first time in 2016 gained momentum earlier this month when the Brazilian city came off best in a technical evaluation of the four candidate cities.

Chicago, meanwhile, came in for some pointed negative comments - including its financial guarantees and public transportation - and Madrid and Tokyo also took some direct hits from the IOC.

Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president, told The Associated Press Monday morning that Obama will leave Thursday and join his wife, Michelle, in Copenhagen, where they'll make the pitch to the International Olympic Committee.

While in Denmark, the statement said, Obama and his wife also will meet with Queen Margrethe and the president will meet with Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen of Denmark.

Obama, who represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate after serving in the Illinois Legislature, is a longtime supporter of Chicago's bid. Michelle Obama is a native of the city and he considers it his adopted home town. Obama recently sent letters to selected IOC members promising a "spectacular Olympic experience for one and all."

"President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama symbolize the hope, opportunity and inspiration that makes Chicago great, and we are honored to have two of our city's most accomplished residents leading our delegation in Copenhagen," Mayor Richard M. Daley said in a statement. "Who better to share with members of the International Olympic Committee the commitment and enthusiasm Chicago has for the Olympic and Paralympic Movement than the President and First Lady."

The president had held off on announcing a trip to Copenhagen, saying his first priority was the ongoing debate in Washington over health care reform. But aides said the president determined that his trip wouldn't take away from that process. The legislation is a signature piece of his domestic policy agenda and negotiations on Capitol Hill have been contentious.

But with heads of state representing Rio and Madrid already scheduled to attend the IOC meeting Friday, Chicago's bid organizers had hoped Obama would make an in-person appeal.

"I don't think there's an IOC member on the planet that wouldn't love to meet your president. He's a transformational figure in the world today," longtime IOC member Dick Pound said recently.

Obama is also mobilizing his administration on behalf of Chicago's bid. Senior adviser Jarrett, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, will also be joining the president and first lady in Copenhagen. All are from Illinois.

They join a Chicago contingent already packed with more star power than a Hollywood red carpet. The first lady is one of the few people who rivals her husband in visibility, and she'll be joined by talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who trails only Angelina Jolie on Forbes' annual Celebrity 100 list, a ranking of the rich and famous' most powerful.

Chicago is also bringing 14 Olympic and two Paralympic gold medalists, including Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Nadia Comaneci and Nastia Liukin.

[valwayne]

9.7% UNEMPLOYMENT and going up! $9 Trillion in additional debt and zooming up! Troops in Afghanistan without the support they need, but Obama needs time to review his General's requests? However, he has plenty of time to fly off to Copenhagen to pitch the Olympic games for Chicago. I suppose that's the Chicago Way, and will win him more votes in Chicago, but what about the rest of the country?

[wtcmedic-911]

This really ticks me off. Id like to see him doing president things and not payback to political alies. I love that one of Obamas friends just happens to own a good deal of property that will be bought for the event. it always amazes me when a politician just happens to own property where something major is built.

[beapancake]

I cannot believe you right wingers are so oblivious to the fact that this will make a TON of money for Americans!!! Duh!!!

[beapancake]

you do realize that america will make a TON of money if the Olympics are held here?? Or are you really that ignorant to see how his politics really work????

[jrod222]

If the Olympic committee were to spend one weekend in Chicago they would give the Olympics to Bagdad. Put a fence around Chicago and re-name it Illinois State Penitentiary.

[jsd330]

After the beating death of the Chicago teen all over the news, that should really impress the olympic committee.

[taryder]

Don't be silly about the "money to be made". The Olympics no matter where it occurs costs BILLIONS to put on!

Our president wasting TIME & MONEY for an event that ONLY the wealthiest can go to is ridiculous. Someone needs to let the Obamas know that we have 40+ MILLION AMERICANS living BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL......We have PEOPLE LIVING ON OUR STREETS, EMPTY BUILDINGS WITH BUSINESSES CLOSED, THE BIGGEST DOWNTURN SINCE THE DEPRESSION, THREE RIDICULOUS WARS AND COUNTING, PEOPLE FIGHTING AND HATING EACH OTHER ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, and countless other ISSUES that he should be tended to IMMEDIATELY. How MANY trips/vacations are these guys gonna take?!! while our country slowly falls apart. I believe Obamas time away from the White House may out-do GWBs time away now.

[the74blaster]

I love how the conservatives are whining about the costs of a plane trip to represent our countries bid for the 2016 summer games. I guess Bill Clinton was right with his comments about the right wing smear game going full blast to attack everything Obama does.

Well,I guess te conservatives should not throw rocks from a glass house.

WHO was the president with North Korea developed the Atomic Bomb?
Who was the president who doubled the public debt in 8 years?
Who was the president that used false pretenses of WMDs to launch an invasion of Iraq?
Who was the president that shreaded the consititution using the war on terror as an excuse to conduct warrantless wiretaps?
Who was the president that left the worst recession in 60 years as a going away present for the next president?

The answer to all of the above is Bush...He was a republican! Are you going to deny that as well by rewriting history?

[greg4sean]

President Obama lobbying for the Olympics? I don't want to see him lobbying for the Olympics. I want to see him lobbying Brazil to return the 70 American Citizen Children that were abducted to that country and not returned by the 6 weeks dictated by the Hague Convention that they are signatories of as are we.

I want to see him lobbying for H.R. 3240 the International Child Abduction Prevention Act of 2009 to help get the over 2,800 other American Citizen Children who have been abducted to many nations not just Brazil, like Japan for example who are not signatories of the Hague, returned. These numbers are according to the State Department and Office of Children's Issues under the State Department and you can find them listed in H.R.3240. Sean Goldman is only one of these 2,800 children, www.bringseanhome.org It is time for Obama to act instead of lobbying to bring the Olympics to Chicago. And to be fair Bush did nothing as well. It is time to act Mr. President bring our fellow American Children back home to their families they were stolen from!

[wmsshields]

All BoBo knows how to do is campaign, he can't lead. One conversation in 100 days with McChrystal while our forces are dying there, how many speeches about his health care fiasco that most Americans do not want, trying to pass "Cap and Trade" to fight non-existent climate change (while flying all over the world polluting the atmosphere). While I am on one hand grateful he is getting out of town, his priorities should be the current economy and not Chicago's desire to host Olympics.

[goldenlucy]

I think it is a job for some other U.S. representative rather than the President to lobby for the Olympics. Let Oprah do it. I also want to know who is paying for this trip and all the gas the airplane will use. Not a good example.