Congratulations to Rio for capturing the 2016 Summer Olympics. As a resident of the Chicagoland area, I say without hesitation Rio's presentation to the International Olympic Committee was much better than ours. When will Americans (and Chicagoans) realize we can't waltz into Copenhagen with "star power" like Oprah and members of the First Family and just expect to get it? The president's speech, however, was the best aspect of Chicago's presentation. Everyone else was flat. How bad could it have been for us if Barack Obama hadn't shown up? As Chuck Todd, NBC's chief White House correspondent, put it this morning, nobody from Chicago's elite had better come to the White House looking for favors in the near future. This day has been a real slap in the face for the administration. On the positive side, "Da Mayor" won't get his hands on an infusion of cash he surely would have spent unwisely. It would have been another in a long line of Daley debacles, including Millennium Park corruption, cost overruns and the recent parking meter fiasco. The worst part was Chicago and Cook County would have been on the hook if the endeavor went over budget. Richard Daley has definitely proven he cannot be trusted with something as large as the Olympics. With his approval ratings at an all-time low (and sure to sink like a rock after today), perhaps this is finally the end of the Daley machine. The beating death of 16-year-old honor student Derrion Albert this past week may fit into all of this too, but it's like blaming Steve Bartman for the Cubs' loss in the 2003 National League championship series. The performance was just not there. The best part, for me, is I have an excuse to share this great song from my favorite former Monkee.
Michael Nesmith - Rio (mp3)
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