The Chicagoist will be launching later but in the meantime please enjoy our archives.

McCain on Chicago Olympics: Me, Too

By Prescott Carlson in News on Jun 8, 2008 6:55PM

Barack Obama isn't the only presidential candidate to support the 2016 Olympics coming to Chicago. Arizona Senator and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain is for the idea of the Olympics being held here as well, ensuring that no matter who is in the White House come January, he'll be able to help grease the palms wheels of the IOC to turn the decision in our favor. Just one catch -- McCain doesn't want too many federal dollars used to do it. McCain first became critical of excessive tax payer money being spent on the Olympics back in 2002, when he initiated an investigation of federal spending at the Salt Lake City winter games:

"The American taxpayer is being shaken down to the tune of nearly a billion and a half dollars... I am all for whatever expenditure for security for the Salt Lake City Olympics [but] a good part of this $1.5 billion -- and there is more in the appropriations bill -- has nothing to do with security. It has to do with road building. It has to do with land swaps, worthless land for valuable land. It has to do with wealthy developers. It has to do with the enrichment of billionaires."

Well then, McCain should have nothing to worry about since those kinds of things don't happen in Chicago, right? [S-T]