Olympic Humiliation. October 2, 2009.

A great power cannot allow herself to be humiliated. The greater the power, the greater the humiliation. The only reason why President Obama might have gone to Copenhagen for the October 2, 2009 selection of the 2016 Summer Olympics host city had to be a hands-down coronation. But there was no coronation. The city of Chicago instead came in dead last, which fact was reported by the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge with a disturbingly perceptible glee.

It would still have been politically wrong, but at least humanly understandable, had Chicago been in a neck-and-neck competition. But that last place had to be anticipated well in advance. I am not blaming President Obama, though: in our day and age the American President comes heavily scripted, therefore, the biggest fault rests with his advisers, who literally set him up and set up America, with their ill-begotten judgment. By all prior political indications, this is the Lula time, the time for Brazil. The fact that the 2014 FIFA (Soccer) World Cup will be taking place in Brazil as well, was by no means a disqualifier for 2016, but a portent of what was to transpire on October 2, 2009. It just had to be Rio, and the White House advisers on this matter had to be aware of it.

So, why did they let our President go to Copenhagen in person, with the First Lady, with Oprah, and with all that impressive entourage? Why did they allow the sorry spectacle of our President trying to undercut the predictably victorious effort of the nationalistic Brazilian President, whom we need as an American friend and not as a bitter opponent in a personal combat which our President was bound to lose anyway?! This was not Mr. Obama, who suffered the humiliation. As a private American citizen, he could even be applauded for desperately going out on a limb for his city and country, as Ms. Winfrey can surely be so applauded. But as the holder of the office of the President of the United States of America, as the highest state symbol of the great American nation, he ought to have stayed away from this event, and those who pushed him into making this embarrassing trip of insult, injury, and defeat must be promptly and indignantly fired.