Taking a Bow

I agree with Jim Geraghty that the President's last-minute trip to Copenhagen probably means that the IOC has already "signaled" that Chicago is going to get the Olympics (despite horrifying PR debacles like this).

The unspoken (let us hope) essential agreement between the IOC and the Obama administration is contoured like this: In return for continuing to humble the United States on the world stage, Obama gets a tangible sign of "world approval" for the brave new country that has emerged on his watch.

The "world community" is happy; American exceptionalism has been junked by the erstwhile leader of the free world. Obama is happy; he can "prove" to domestic doubters that his hat-in-hand approach has "changed" the way the world looks at Americans, and provides a much needed "success" on the foreign stage.

As for those pesky Iranians, North Koreans, Taliban and Al Qaeda -- well, never mind.