Olympic Blows

That, and other news, in today's Roundup and Recap.

While much of the focus on Chicago's failure to land the 2016 Olympics has been on the political fallout to President Obama, there's also Oprah Winfrey, who personally lobbied in Copenhagen this week. As byzantine as the politics of the International Olympic Committee may be, Chicago's loss also reflects the limits of celebrity, even superstars on the international stage. I am no Olympic expert, but it strikes me as a compelling argument on Rio's part that no South American country had ever hosted an Olympic Games, coupled with the personal lobbying on behalf of Madrid by the IOC's former chairman.

The fact that Chicago was eliminated first was a stunning blow and, watching the looks of disappointment among city residents in Daley Plaza, all I could think of was that the city has an endless capacity to endure defeat. (The Cubs come to mind).

I do wonder if the loss of the Olympic bid will in anyway cause the White House to pull back on an all Obama, all the time strategy, one that has seen him appear on late night TV, countless magazine covers and even ESPN, and instead convey the image of the president intensely focused on creating new jobs. As he headed back to the U.S., he's already switched to talking about today's unexpectedly dismal job report.

Letterman Fallout: With David Letterman's revelation of an extortion attempt, and admission of affairs with members of his staff, conservatives who have been critical of the late-night host's skewering of Sarah Palin and President George W. Bush are having a field day. But Greg Gutfiled at Big Hollywood notes that he has been following the law.

Polanski Politics: As much as there's been temptation to classify Hollywood figures' defense of Roman Polanski as a left-right issue, liberal columnist Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post chides the industry. He writes, "Could it be that the conservative culture warriors who portray Hollywood as a cesspool of moral bankruptcy have been right all along? Not really. But in the case of Roman Polanski, the puritan scolds definitely have a point.

He adds, "The Los Angeles Times quoted Weinstein as saying in an interview that he doesn't believe public opinion is running against Polanski -- or that Hollywood is out of step. "Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion," Weinstein said, according to the newspaper. "We were the people who did the fundraising telethon for the victims of 9/11. We were there for the victims of Katrina and any world catastrophe."

"Hollywood was there, all right, whenever the tragedy was distant, the victims were anonymous and the "compassionate" concert or telethon had acceptable production values that made all the stars look their best. How heroically they rearranged their busy schedules!"

A New Aim: Conservative commentators have a new target: Kevin Jennings, director of the Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. David Corn writes on what he did: "In a 1994 book, he recounted his experience as an in-the-closet gay teacher at a private school, and he described a 1988 episode in which a male high school sophomore confided to him his involvement with an older man. Jennings was 24 years old then, and as he wrote, "I listened, sympathized, and offered advice. He left my office with a smile on his face that I would see every time I saw him on the campus for the next two years, until he graduated."" Update: The high school sophomore, now approaching middle age, issued this statement this afternoon: "Since I was of legal consent at the time, the fifteen-minute conversation I had with Mr. Jennings twenty-one years ago is of nobody's concern but his and mine. However, since the Republican noise machine is so concerned about my "well-being" and that of America's students, they'll be relieved to know that I was not "inducted" into homosexuality, assaulted, raped, or sold into sexual slavery."

Awarded: Dan Glickman, chairman and CEO of the MPAA, received the Hubert Humphrey Humanitarian Award on Thursday at a Washington reception. The award was given by the National Jewish Democratic Council and is for "extraorinary leadership on issues important to our community and society."