FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
There's no question Chicago's losing the Olympics was an embarrassment for Pres. Obama. One headline on the Drudge Report read: Obama + Michelle X Oprah = 0
Princeton history professor Julian Zelizer writes on CNN.com that the usually calm and steady president has made two recent mistakes that have shifted the public's focus off the big issues like health care.
The first was when Mr. Obama waded into the controversy surrounding the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Gates by saying the police acted "stupidly" when he didn't know all the facts of the case. The second mistake was the president's decision to fly to Copenhagen for the Olympics pitch.
Zelizer suggests the Olympics situation is more troubling - since it was well-thought out by the president and vetted by his advisers - whereas the Gates comment was an off-the-cuff moment.
In the grand scheme of things - the Olympics flap is not as big a deal as Republicans will make it out to be. And - come election time, it's likely that whatever happens with health care reform, the economy and whether or not the U-S sends more troops to Afghanistan will all weigh heavier on voters' minds.
But President Obama's decision to go to Denmark and appear before the International Olympic committee may be seen as a lapse in judgment for a man who had perfect political instincts during the campaign.
Here’s my question to you: Politically speaking, how big a deal was losing the Olympics for President Obama?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Steve from San Diego writes:
Nobody wins every battle they fight. He was right to support our country's bid to host the Games. I give him credit for taking his best shot. So it didn’t work out. So what?
Rory from San Bernardino, California writes:
Jack, I like and voted for our president, but this trip was not necessary. It made him look weak, ineffectual and easily distracted. And the First Lady's sob story about her father didn't help either. We need a tough president, not a cheerleader or TV star.
Jim from Craig, Colorado writes:
It matters, but only with people who don't. A reasonable person provides help when it is important and when asked. Win or lose doesn't really matter. People with some perverted sense of political posturing think that the president should become involved only if the outcome has been somehow fixed in his favor.
George writes:
Who really cares? The decision was made long before President Obama went. The vote was just a formality. He probably did waste his time, however if he didn't go your question would have been: Did the president’s prestige suffer because he didn't stand up for America? Damned if he did and damned if he didn't.
Frankie writes:
It was a neat idea, too bad it didn't work. Do you honestly think every fly he swats and every move he makes is political? If the Republicans can't figure out how to politicize some action of the president, the media does it for them.
Ken from Burlington, Vermont writes:
Obama is breaking the mold. Those who use the prism of the past will miss the mark when assessing his presidency. It's the first inning with a lot of baseball left to play - and he knows it.