I am very sorry that you lost your bid for the Chicago 2016 Olympics. You might have even still been president and what greater satisfaction but to open the Olympics in your chosen home. Not that I was for Chicago, I rooted for Madrid even though I knew they had no chances: they were taken for a ride just as Paris was taken for a ride when the Olympics were given to Beijing. Paris was deprived of its reward 4 years later, the promised reward for having allowed itself to be insultingly compared to Beijing. And thus, just like Madrid, you were taken for a ride as the IOC had decided long ago that Rio would get the games. Even the final score is suspicious: with such a high margin why Rio did not win outright earlier? It suddenly picked at least 16 Asian votes?
See, you are still new at this game so I am allowing myself to let you know how you can make this abject lesson work for you in the end.
First, let me tell you that the IOC is a scumbag organization, who, in the name of a sport fairness that they supposedly represent, are in fact consummate political manipulators to perpetuate the temporary glory of rather poor second tier figuration unable to look important if it were not for their ability to manipulate the Committee. Just look at the smug face of Jacques Rogge announcing the nomination of Rio. I mean, the guy with the Tibetan blood on his hands, the guy who as soon as Beijing was over forgot any self assumed duty about freedom in China, is still directing a committee that he should have resigned from in disgrace as a liar and weak minded creep. If the committee had any moral quality they would have asked for his dismissal, by the way. Instead he got and loved every second of a US president come to beg.
You can see it by yourself. Although unfairly you will pay politically for your misplaced attempt at supporting Chicago, do not take it personally, most IOC members are morally well below you. It does not matter that you are representing one of the best traits of America, they would screw you anyway. In fact, that you are the first African American president of the US probably played a lot against you as they resent you making the US a more difficult thing to mock.
And thus I come to my point: it does not pay to be nice, it does not pay to play by the rules of a game whose rules you have no regard into, it does not matter that you try to prove that America is nice now that you are president, it does not matter that you try to be loved, you will not succeed because the world is ruled in majority by people who hate what the US represents, when they do not hate the US itself. I know what I am talking about, I have the misfortune to be a subject of infinitely embarrassing president Chavez.
As far as I am concerned, the cruel lesson you got today will be a small price for you to see the light. It is not the first time that this seems to be happening to you in spite of all your genuine best intentions. For example, you shook hands with Chavez, and even accepted a silly book from him. What good has this brought to you? Do you realize now that Chavez was only trying to gain time until he could find a way to insult you that would sound credible at least with the fascist garbage that supports him, at home and even in the US?
Or more recently, that you met with Iran in Geneva is actually playing against you since it gives a slightly less pariah status to Iran. Though in this case admittedly I cannot see what else you could have done since there is a need to know more about what is really going on inside Iran first.
I think it was worth to try to be mister Nice Guy for a few months. But it is not working outside of the scarce few sensible countries in the world, namely some in Europe and half a dozen at best around the Pacific. Politicians in Latin America, to take a sample, still think they cannot win an election if they do not show themselves to be at the very least doubtful about the US. Or why else do you think Lula allowed for Zelaya to go back into Tegucigalpa and use Brazil's embassy as his Speaker's Corner? He never liked what Hillary and Arias tried to sensibly put together! In the end he could not resist a quick sabotage.
Let me put it in a different wording: just like all those democrats loved to have Fidel visit them, they will love to have their picture taken with you just to trash the US again once they are far enough from you. We are a fluff subcontinent that values democracy only as it helps a given leader or group. There was a general amazement when Nixon was forced to resign, it was never really taken as a sign of USA democratic vigor.
Of course I am not advocating a return to the arrogance of your predecessor: we are ALL paying the price for it today, the more so Venezuelans who only got an autocratic Chavez courtesy of oil prices the Iraq war sent up.
But there must be somewhere in the middle where you could try to carve a good role for yourself, perhaps leaving you a nice place in history. One suggestion is to pick a few values of democracy and human rights and stand by them, choosing your friends accordingly. And helping only your Friends. Those who think that Chavez or Ahmadinejad or even Lula can help them better, can stick with them.
What would that mean for Latin America, for example? Cut off all the pro Chavez countries, stop buying oil from Venezuela, pass an FTA with Colombia ASAP and create a prosperity zone with Peru, Chile, Colombia and whomever wants in Central America. Do not worry about Brazil, you are too much of a market for them: when they realize you are serious they will come around of their own, they are not stupid. Forget about ALBA and Argentina, let them sink in their idiocy, it is the only way we will learn our lesson.
Heck, you could start today, by dumping Zelaya once and for all, he is bad news. Dump Zelaya and demand that Micheletti resigns for a new interim government to organize elections. I bet you can gain that: Honduras seems willing to accept anything as long as Zelaya does not come back. All appearances would be covered! At this point the only countries that would criticise you are those that would criticize you no matter what you do. Why bother with them anymore? After the IOC humiliation do you want the OAS to do you in?
Meanwhile forget about IOC and other garbage, you are too good for them, do not waste anymore of your time with them: THEY WILL NEVER OBLIGE YOU.
PS: I know Chicago and it was my second pick. After all it has less pollution, less crime and less corruption than Rio, and no exposed favellas by the way. In South America there are at least 2 cities just in Brazil more suitable than Rio, Curitiba and Porto Alegre, cities who need way more the name recognition that Rio does not need. Rio is as political a designation as Beijing was, though less condemnable, no Tibet or Internet censorship at least. Madrid had the best dossier and cheapest one, Rio the worst.
-The end-