Rahm: Obama's G-8 Decision Took Him By Surprise
By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 8, 2012 8:00PM
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is trying to accentuate the positive in President Barack Obama's decision to move the May G-8 Summit to Camp David.
Obama emphasized his main reason for moving the summit was because he had yet to entertain foreign heads of state at the retreat, and not because of possible security concerns posed by a possible 50,000 anarchists descending to Chicago in a couple months.
Emanuel, who was in New York when the announcement was made, said he was made aware of the president's decision shortly before the rest of us found out, and doesn't take losing G-8 as a sleight.
Besides, Chicago still has that other summit to contend with, and anarchists gotta protest something. Emanuel said the city is up for the challenge.
"While the nature of the event has changed, the economic opportunity for the city in creating a tourism industry and the recognition of bringing the world to Chicago and Chicago to the world still exist and is there because 50 heads of state ... , their foreign ministers and defense ministers are all coming to Chicago for that weekend," Emanuel said. "So that opportunity, economic exposure and energy still exist and will happen."
Chicago First Lady Amy Rule will also take on an expanded role during the lead-in to the NATO summit. Rule will join Gov. Pat Quinn and 70 "ambassadors" on a trip to Belgium March 21 to meet with NATO leaders to discuss the summit.