First Lady's Olympian Effort Falls Short (Side splitting, hilarious barfer)

Washington Post ^ | Ocotober 3, 2009 | Robin Givhan

[libstripper]

Before first lady Michelle Obama set off for this Danish capital to lead the charge for Chicago's valiant -- but ultimately unsuccessful -- bid for the 2016 Olympics, she joked that the last-minute lobbying effort would be "a battle." "We're going to win," Obama said. "Take no prisoners."

At a G-20 dinner in Pittsburgh, she teased Brazil's first lady, Marisa Leticia da Silva, that when the time came for the last-ditch arguments for the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to Chicago -- over competitors Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid -- the "gloves are off."

Back in September, that all was just good-natured exaggeration -- high-level, lighthearted trash talk. But when Obama took the microphone Friday morning in front of more than 100 members of the International Olympic Committee, at a convention center here, she went straight for the emotional jugular. She did not try to sell the city of her birth based on the location of its sports venues, the logistics of transportation, amenities available for the athletes or even the long list of designer boutiques on the Magnificent Mile. She left all that -- including a discussion of Chicago's excellent shopping opportunities -- to the other members of the delegation who came with her to sell the city to the IOC.

[Covenantor]

Can you IMAGINE going to apply for a job somewhere, and, your voice cracking, you tell the CEO about your poor dead father and your rough childhood?

That's straight out of the affirmative action handbook, her guide to life, well, along with Alinsky.

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Jeepus, that’s creepy!

[Night Hides Not]

The first lady stood out like a fly in a pile of dung.

A small edit, if you don't mind:

The first lady stood out like an oversized dung beetle in a pile of fresh dung.

[Always Independent]

The Obama’s performance.

3.2, 3.3, 2.1, 4.2, 3.1

[riri]

they are calling MO “incredibly effective”

Oh, how I hope his handlers keep believing that. She's poison.

[Charles Henrickson]

DUmmie FUnnies 10-03-09 ("Obama (That Bumblin' Clown)" Loses Olympics for Chicago)

OBAMA (THAT BUMBLIN' CLOWN)
Tune: "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)"

Obama, Obama, that bumblin' clown
Obama, Obama, he will fumble around--and flub it
Bet your teleprompter he'll lose the games for Chicago, Chicago
So bad that Oprah Winfrey will have to frown

Olympics are slim picks, when Barry's your shill
You do things like lose out to Brazil
He had the task, Chicago to sell
I had to laugh, he came with Michelle
O Chicago, Obama let you down!

Obama, Obama, that bumblin' clown
Obama, Obama, he'll fumble around--and flub it
Bet your teleprompter he'll lose the games for Chicago, Chicago
So bad that Oprah Winfrey will have to frown

Olympics are slim picks, when Barry's your shill
You do things like losing out to Brazil--still
He had the task, Chicago to sell
I had to laugh when he came with Michelle
O Chicago, Obama--Obama sure let you down!

[RegulatorCountry]

Well, if they can get “Shuh-SHEV-ski” out of Krzyzewski, I guess yours are pronounced “ZIZZ-plick SHIRT-lick,” lol.

I suspect I’d have to get a legal name change to the phoenetic, myself. Nobody outside of the industrial upper midwest could even venture a guess as to pronunciation, otherwise.

[RegulatorCountry]

I think you got that backwards, lol.

[MinuteGal]

"Hello, my name is Bob Ctvrtlik and I'm a suck-up Vice-President of the USOC......and I came to Copenhagen to buy a couple of vowels, but I couldn't find a place that sold them.....and Mrs. Obama sold me three of them....and I just can't tell you how elegant she is.....now you can call me 'Bob Cytvyrytlik'....or just 'Bb", if you want....."

Leni

[OpusatFR]

The comments are priceless!

The King has no clothes! He’s naked and so is his wife~

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

I had a girlfriend that taught grade school on Milwaukee’s South Side. One day I looked a alist of her pupils. No clue! I found out that Trzyb is pronounced “sheb!”

[happygrl]

They remind me of the Clintons: they’re both in love with the same person.

[RegulatorCountry]

I’m beginning to see some sort of rhyme and reason, here. French is loaded with silent letters, and apparently Polish has a dominant “z” with variable pronunciation depending upon proximity to other letters, but often coming out sounding like “sh.”

Is this a plausible rule of thumb, lol?

[TigersEye]

OK, try this one.

The first lady stood out like a buzzard on a ...

[RegulatorCountry]

... baby’s butt?

[happygrl]

This one, I thought, was revealing, from a Norwegian.

Note what is said about proper apparel:

I do not know where to start, Mainlobster, I feel sorry for you and agree with most of what you say, but do not despair, the American people are, as you say, very resilient. Indeed, Mr. Obama is not ready to be President of the USA, the whole Olympic affair was a shambles, I could not believe the amateurish way with which the whole thing was conducted, from what the First Couple said to how Mrs Obama dressed, I live in Norway, so I saw it all on Tv. Some commented on the last topic on this forum, she needs indeed advise, for starters, you never wear shinny fabrics during the day, also there is an unspoken dress code if you are going to meet the head of a country, in this case the Queen of Denmark, if you dont have time to change then plan ahead. Robin says she looked like a star, indeed, going to a disco, not for day time, and what's with the little cardigans, the belts under her breasts, the wide skirts, totally wrong for her. But finally, they didn't make a case for Chicago, they talked mostly about themselves, Mrs. Obama placed herself as an example, the person who advised her on this should be fired, she should have related the story of an athlete, surely there must be hundreds of them with similar humble backgrounds and really heroic rising through sport. Can you imagine what must have been going through the delegates heads listening to her speech?, of course they have to be polite. 10/3/2009 1:41:35 PM

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

It would seem that, with Polish, anything is plausible! But the same can be said of other language names. Ng is pronounced “Ing,” but I couldn’t figure that out until someone told me. I thought it surely must be “Nuhg!” And many African names have an “M” or an “N” followed by a consonant. And then start adding in those clicks and stuff? Totally incomprehensible to most “American” English speakers!

[TigersEye]

Can you imagine what must have been going through the delegates heads listening to her speech?, of course they have to be polite. 10/3/2009 1:41:35 PM

I hope the 0bamas keep counting on Europeans to be polite.
We have much amusement in store for us. ;-)

[mojitojoe]

[Mr Rogers]

“Carl Lewis was in the 1984,88,92 and 96 Olympics.”

Since she was born in 64, I guess she could have been sitting on Daddy’s lap at 32...

However, when talking about growing up, she never mentioned TV - just reading and playing Monopoly and - if her speech to the IOC was correct - how to throw punches.

So my guess is that in her 30s, she punched out the family next door, took their TV, sat on Daddy’s lap and watched Carl Lewis run.