London has won its bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2012, beating out long-time favorite Paris. Though the exact reason for the upset remains to be determined, I wouldn't be surprised if Jacques Chirac's recent derogatory jokes about English and Finnish food left a sour taste in the IOC's mouth.
Kudos to Tony Blair for taking the high road and remaining focused on the weighty issues before him and the rest of the leaders at the G8 Summit. You are deserving of this Olympic honor and benefit.
Though the U.K. only half-heartedly reelected Blair in his last election, his recent global leadership on issues of poverty and climate change combined with ability to secure the Olympic bid must have his constituents feeling a renewed sense of pride in their leader right now.
Jacques Chirac, on the other hand, must be feeling pretty dejected as he prepares to sit down to dinner with the other members of the G8 Summit. On NPR this morning, I heard an e-mail from a listener in Singapore asking whether Chirac will be able to sell his agenda at the G8 since his recent track record hasn't been so good (he wasn't able to sell France on the EU Constitution or the IOC on Paris).
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