President, First lady to pitch Chicago 2016 at upcoming UN, G20 meetings
WASHINGTON -- Friday afternoon, first lady Michelle Obama huddled for 90 minutes with a close circle of senior advisers in her East Wing office to map strategy for her biggest solo assignment to date: traveling to Copenhagen to lead Chicago's drive to land the 2016 Olympics.
The coming days will put Mrs. Obama on the international stage at a level she -- and the world -- has not seen before as she lobbies in Copenhagen, New York and Pittsburgh for Chicago's bid.
Wednesday evening, the Obamas headline a reception in New York for about 190 world leaders gathered for the opening of the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly. From there, the first couple jump to Pittsburgh to host the G20 global leaders' summit on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25, where Mrs. Obama will have her own separate schedule of events. She lands in Copenhagen on Sept. 30 in advance of the International Olympic Committee's Oct. 2 vote to name a host city for the 2016 Summer Games.
Pinch-hitting for the president -- who is staying home to battle for health-care reform legislation -- Mrs. Obama will be in the spotlight as one of the key figures in Chicago's final presentation to the 106 IOC members. Mrs. Obama's biography -- a daughter of Chicago's South Side who grew up near where many of the proposed Olympic venues will be located -- will figure heavily in her pitch.
The first lady will be competing with presidents and prime ministers, the leaders of rival nations Spain, Japan and Brazil who will be promoting Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro.
Until now, Mrs. Obama has taken on a supporting role with a small portfolio of noncontroversial issues, generating gobs of positive publicity when she has traveled overseas. Leading the homestretch of Chicago's Olympic charge, however, puts pressure on her to deliver the votes.
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Form of ... the Olympic torch! Tons of Oprah news this week, even after her big Michigan Avenue throwdown the week before. First, she conceded that she'd be more than happy to join first lady Michelle Obama in Copenhagen next month to make Chicago's final case for the 2016 Olympics. Go, girls! Then Oprah and Tyler Perry were in Toronto, hawking the new film "Precious, Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (worst contractually obligated title ever!). By Friday, Oprah was in New York City's Central Park for a live taping of her daytime talk show (despite its slipping ratings). It's a new game: Where In the World is Oprah Winfrey? (And With Whom?!)
