By: BYRON YORK
Washington Examiner
Chief Political Correspondent
10/02/09
Top White House adviser David Axelrod says “politics” played a key role in the International Olympic Committee’s decision to reject President Obama’s appeal in support of Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
In an interview moments ago on CNN, Axelrod said, “I don’t view this as a repudiation of the president or the first lady. I think that there are politics everywhere, and there were politics inside that room.” Axelrod said that a former head of the IOC was leading Madrid’s effort for the games, and others involved in other Olympic bids also had connections with the IOC. “As with any process like this, there are all kinds of crosscurrents in the room, there are relationships,” Axelrod said.
Asked for details, Axelrod said, “I’m not suggesting anything nefarious…I’m not suggesting anything untoward happened. There are politics around every process, and there were here as well…There were relationships that paid off for some of the other cities.”
Axelrod defended Obama’s decision to fly to Copenhagen to make the appeal for Chicago. “It was well worth the effort,” Axelrod said.
“Obviously it was disappointing. The president made, I think, a very strong appeal, and it didn’t work out.”
