For nigh unto seven years, Barack Obama has mystified political pundits, critics and supporters alike, with statements and behaviors that often seem contradictory to his own best interests.
For instance, in 2009 the president rushed off to Copenhagen in order to pitch the case for holding the 2016 Olympics in Chicago. This despite an already full plate of important domestic and foreign situations in urgent need of attention from America’s new chief executive, and no reliable assurance that Chicago would win the coveted award, with or without The One on hand.