International Olympic Committee

International Olympic Committee

From the president's speech to the International Olympic Committee Friday morning -- personalizing the pitch: "It's not just the American dream that is the Olympic spirit; it's the essence of the Olympic spirit, and that's why we see so much of ourselves in these Games," he said. "That's why we want them in Chicago, that's why we want them in America." From First Lady Michelle Obama's speech: "I never dreamed that the Olympic flame might one day light up lives in my neighborhood," she said early Friday morning. "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.

This, in a sense, is the real test of the international "celebrity" -- whether a personal appeal can tip some pretty hefty scales, with a pretty difficult audience to impress. This looks a lot savvier if the president gets what he came for. ABC's Yunji de Nies, from Copenhagen, on "Good Morning America" Friday: "The presentation was everything they promised -- emotional, heartfelt, energetic. But will it be enough?" The process really is like an Iowa caucus, just with every voter as self-entitled as that woman from Cedar Rapids who won't support anyone who hasn't signed her hat:

"If no city gains a majority in the first round, IOC President Jacques Rogge will announce which city has received the least number of votes and has been eliminated," Matthew Futterman reports in The Wall Street Journal. "The process repeats itself until a winner emerges, with Mr. Rogge scheduled to announce the winning city at 6:30 p.m. in Copenhagen, or 11:30 a.m. in Chicago. The White House has yet to say whether Mr. Obama will stick around for the vote." The critics are far more likely to break through if the president doesn't win: "The president's whirlwind trip put him in the Danish capital for less than five hours Friday," per the AP.