‘And the Host Country for the 2022 World Cup Will Be…’; Update: Obama Says ‘Wrong Decision’

Presidents Obama and Clinton lobbied FIFA hard, as did Eric Holder, who traveled to Switzerland to help sell the US as the location for the World Cup (it’s not like the Attorney General has anything better to worry about).

That’s a lot of political fire-power and enormously respected global prestige (just ask them). Did it work?

Nope:

America has lost out in its bid to host the 2022 World Cup finals.

The Go USA bid was pipped to the post by Qatar, who beat competition from Australia, South Korea and Japan as it netted the award to host nation for the forthcoming soccer event.

The Arab nation were the hot favourites to win the right to host the event, having ploughed millions into their campaign.

The FIFA committee ignored the fact that the country has practically none of the stadia or infrastructure required, which the USA already has in place.

Reverse Midas Touch confirmed yet again. Obama should be happy though because of the “Muslim outreach” angle of FIFA’s history-making decision.

US taxpayers took it in the shorts to the tune of well over a million dollars when the President and First Lady went to Copenhagen to lobby to have the 2016 Olympic Games in Chicago. No telling yet what the cost of this failed World Cup bid will end up being.

Next time Obama should take a lesson from Vladimir Putin, who refused to make a pitch to FIFA for his country to host the 2018 World Cup. So naturally, Russia was chosen.

Update: Obama says FIFA made “the wrong decision.” He still hasn’t said a thing about Wikileaks though, as far as I know.

Update II: Martin Rogers at Yahoo! Sports stumbles upon an irony thicket:

Why Qatar?

At best, the FIFA executive committee voters were whimsical enough to be sold on a dream that has little footing in reality. The sales pitch was one of gleaming, futuristic stadiums, a foothold in the uncharted soccer waters of the Middle East and the chance for FIFA to blaze a trail by embracing a fast-emerging economic power.

Sound like a somewhat familiar strategy? If Obama should be angry at anything, it’s that Qatar infringed on the copyright of the Hope & Change sales pitch, circa 2008.

Doug Powers - michellemalkin.com