YOU are seated on the prestigious International Olympic Committee. You have access to all the perks and graft a person like you in such a position can possibly want.

As a representative of the IOC, and the Olympics, it is in your interest to protect the interests of the Olympics, both international and economic.

Enter the "set-up" person for the Great City of Chicago, USA: Mrs. Michelle Obama

REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY TO THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

MRS. OBAMA: President Rogge, ladies and gentlemen, Mesdames et Messieurs of the
International Olympic Committee: I am honored to be here.

I was born and raised on Chicago's South Side, not far from where the Games
would open and close. Ours was a neighborhood of working families — families
with modest homes and strong values.

Sports were what brought our community together. They strengthen our ties to
one another.

Growing up, when I played games with the kids in my neighborhood, we picked
sides based not on who you were, but what you could bring to the game. Sports
taught me self-confidence, teamwork, and how to compete as an equal.

Sports were a gift I shared with my dad — especially the Olympic Games.

Some of my best memories are sitting on my dad's lap, cheering on Olga and
Nadia, Carl Lewis, and others for their brilliance and perfection. Like so many
young people, I was inspired. I found myself dreaming that maybe, just maybe,
if I worked hard enough, I, too, could achieve something great.

But I never dreamed that the Olympic flame might one day light up lives in my
neighborhood.

But today, I can dream, and I am dreaming of an Olympic and Paralympic Games in
Chicago that will light up lives in neighborhoods all across America and all
across the world; that will expose all our neighborhoods to new sports and new
role models; that will show every child that regardless of wealth, or gender, or
race, or physical ability, there is a sport and a place for them, too.

That's why I'm here today. I'm asking you to choose Chicago. I'm asking you to
choose America.

And I'm not asking just as the First Lady of the United States, who is eager to
welcome the world to our shores. And not just as a Chicagoan, who is proud and
excited to show the world what my city can do. Not just as a mother raising two
beautiful young women to embrace athleticism and pursue their full potential.

I'm also asking as a daughter.

See, my dad would have been so proud to witness these Games in Chicago. And I
know they would have meant something much more to him, too.

You see, in my dad's early thirties, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
And as he got sicker, it became harder for him to walk, let alone play his
favorite sports. But my dad was determined that sports continue to be a vital
lifeline — not just to the rest of the world, but to me and my brother.

And even as we watched my dad struggle to hold himself up on crutches, he never
stopped playing with us. And he refused to let us take our abilities for
granted. He believed that his little girl should be taught no less than his
son. So he taught me how to throw a ball and a mean right hook better than any
boy in my neighborhood. But more importantly, my dad taught us the fundamental
rules of the game, rules that continue to guide our lives today: to engage with
honor, with dignity, and fair play.

My dad was my hero.

And when I think of what these Games can mean to people all over the world, I
think about people like my dad. People who face seemingly insurmountable
challenges, but never let go. They work a little harder, but they never give
up.

Now, my dad didn't live to see the day that the Paralympic Games would become the force that they are today. But if he had lived to see this day — if he could have seen the Paralympic Games share a global stage with the Olympic Games, if he could have witnessed athletes who compete and excel and prove that nothing is more powerful than the human spirit, I know it would have restored in him the same sense of unbridled possibility that he instilled in me.

Chicago's vision for the Olympic and Paralympic Movement is about so [much? — ed.] more than what we can offer the Games — it's about what the Games can offer all of us. It's about inspiring this generation, and building a lasting legacy for the next. It's about our responsibility as Americans not just to put on great Games, but to use these Games as a vehicle to bring us together; to usher in a new era of international engagement; and to give us hope; and to change lives all over the world.

And I've brought somebody with me today who knows a little something about change. My husband, the President of the United States — Barack Obama. (Applause.)

STOP.

YOU ARE TASKED WITH LOCATING THE OLYMPICS IN THE VENUE THAT WOULD BEST SERVE THE OLYMPICS, EXPANDING STATUS, REVENUE AND WORLD INTEREST. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

ENTER Mr. BARACK OBAMA, THE CLOSER:

President Rogge, ladies and gentlemen of the Internation Olympic Committee:

I come here today as a passionate supporter of the Olympic andParalympic Games; as a strong believer in the movement they represent;and a proud Chicagoan. But above all, I come as a faithfulrepresentative of the American people, and we look forward to welcomingthe world to the shores of Lake Michigan and the heartland of our nationin 2016.

To host athletes and visitors from every corner of the globe is a highhonor and a great responsibility. And America is ready and eager toassume that sacred trust. We are a nation that has always opened itsarms to the citizens of the world - including my own father - who havesought something better; who have dreamed of something bigger.

I know you face a difficult choice among several great cities andnations with impressive bids of their own. So I've come here today tourge you to choose Chicago for the same reasons I chose Chicago nearlytwenty-five years ago - the reasons I fell in love with the city I stillcall home. And it's not only because it's where I met the woman youjust heard from - though after getting to know her this week, I'm sureyou'd all agree that she's a pretty big selling point.

You see, growing up, my family moved around a lot. And I never reallyhad roots in any one place or culture or ethnic group. Then I came toChicago. And on those Chicago streets, I worked alongside men and womenwho were black and white; Latino and Asian; people of every class andnationality and religion. I came to discover that Chicago is that mostAmerican of American cities, but one where citizens from more than 130nations inhabit a rich tapestry of distinctive neighborhoods.

Each one of those neighborhoods - from Greektown to the UkrainianVillage; from Devon to Pilsen to Washington Park - has its own uniquecharacter, history, song, and sometimes language. But each is also apart of our city - one city - a city where I finally found a home.

Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes us differentjust as we celebrate what we have in common. It's a place where ourunity is on colorful display at so many festivals, parades, andespecially sporting events, where perfect strangers become fast friendsat the sight of the same jersey. It's a city that works - from itsfirst World's Fair more than a century ago to the World Cup we hosted inthe nineties, we know how to put on big events. [at last! a selling point! — ed.] And scores of visitorsand spectators will tell you that we do it well.

Chicago is a city where the practical and the inspirational exist inharmony; where visionaries who made no small plans rebuilt after a greatfire and taught the world to reach new heights. It's a bustlingmetropolis with the warmth of a small town; where the world alreadycomes together every day to live and work and reach for a dream - adream that no matter who we are or where we're from; no matter what welook like or what hand life has dealt us, with hard work, anddiscipline, and dedication, we can make it if we try.

That's not just the American Dream. That is the Olympic spirit. That'swhy we see so much of ourselves in these Games. And that's why we wantthem in Chicago. That's why we want them in America.

We stand at a moment in history when the fate of each nation isinextricably linked to the fate of all nations - a time of commonchallenges that require a common effort. And I ran for Presidentbecause I believed deeply that at this defining moment, the United State of America has a responsibility to help lead that effort, and toforge new partnerships with the nations and peoples of the world.

No one expects the Games to solve our collective challenges. But we dobelieve that in a world where we have too often witnessed the darkeraspects of our humanity, peaceful competition between nations representswhat is best about our humanity. It brings us together, if only for afew weeks, face to face. It helps us understand one another just alittle better. It reminds us that no matter how or where we differ, weall seek our own measure of happiness, and fulfillment, and pride inwhat we do. And that is a very powerful starting point for progress. [but — what about Chicago? — ed.]

Nearly one year ago, on a clear November night, people from every cornerof the world gathered in the city of Chicago or in front of theirtelevisions to watch the results of the U.S. Presidential election.Their interest wasn't about me as an individual. Rather, it was rootedin the belief that America's experiment in democracy still speaks to aset of universal aspirations and ideals. It sprung from the hope thatin this ever-shrinking world, our diversity could be a source ofstrength and cause for celebration; and that with sustained work anddetermination, we could learn to live and prosper together during thefleeting moment we share on this Earth.

That work is far from over, but it has begun in earnest. And while wedo not know what the next few years will bring, there is nothing I wouldlike more than to step just a few blocks from my family's home andwelcome the world back to our neighborhood.

At the beginning of this new century, the nation that has been shaped bypeople from around the world wants a chance to inspire it once more; toignite the spirit of possibility at the heart of the Olympic andParalympic movement in a new generation; to offer a stage worthy of theextraordinary talent and dynamism offered by nations joined together -to host games that unite us in noble competition and shared celebrationof our limitless potential as a people.

And so I urge you to choose Chicago. I urge you to choose America. Andif you do; if we walk this path together; then I promise you this: thecity of Chicago and the United States of America will make the worldproud. Thank you.

Okay; STOP.

That was a little better, to be sure, but in the face of these two presentations, WHAT WOULD YOU, AS A MEMBER OF THE IOC, DO?

It wasn't a slap in the face of the Obamas, certainly. But I would be interested to see what went into the other presentations by the other nations. Especially Brazil (as Raymurgy rightfully pointed out, the Games have never been held in South America, giving Rio a HUGE natural edge over any other competitors).