I just wanted to say "congratulations" to Brazil on winning the 2016 summer Olympics. I've been to Brazil twice, both times on business trips with the Department of Energy, and I'll never forget the first time flying into Rio at dusk. That was probably one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring sights I've ever seen, Sugarloaf Mountain glowing red and gold as the sun set behind it. On the ground in Rio, it's a somewhat different story, a mix of beauty - natural and human - and wealth combined with extreme poverty, squalor and crime. For those who have been to Rio, it's clearly the "best of times, the worst of times." And the traffic? Wow, you thought the Beltway at rush hour was bad? Try getting from the airport to Ipanema or Copacabana - yikes!Moving out from Rio, the nation of Brazil is an incredible place, the fifth largest country in the world in geographical area (ranging from lush rain forest to semi-arid desert to temperate forests to the Atlantic coastline), the fifth most populous country in the world (191 million people), and the fourth most populous democracy (after many years of military dictatorship). Brazil is also the world's tenth largest economy, regarded as one of four emerging economies called "BRIC" (Brazil, Russia, India, and China).
All in all, I can't think of a better place to hold the 2016 Olympics, although certainly it will be a challenge in a chaotic city like Rio de Janeiro. Of course, I would have loved to have seen the United States get to host the Olympics once again, and I thank President Obama for taking time out of his busy schedule (including an important meeting with General McChrystal) to make the case for America to the IOC. The fact that it didn't result in Chicago getting the games should certainly not be used in any way to criticize President Obama, as (unfortunately) some conservatives are doing. Instead, how about just congratulating Brazil on getting the games, plan your trip to Rio in 2016, feel a bit bummed that Chicago didn't get it, and leave it at that?
