The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson was an early and avid Obama supporter, but he shares the opinion of many conservative critics that the president's fruitless dash to Copenhagen was a poor choice from the start. In the aftermath of Chicago's defeat, he and Ed Morrissey of Hot Air are both shaking their heads at the president's pride and folly:

• Morrissey:

[The folks at the White House] seem to have an inordinately high opinion of their own influence on world leaders and organizations, and Obama apparently has no one to whisper Sic transit gloria in his ear when he embarks on these triumphs.

In short, this debacle closely resembles Greek warnings about the crippling nature of hubris. What an embarrassment.

• Robinson: "Told ya," the Post's columnist triumphantly proclaimed. He didn't share conservatives' scorn and handwringing over the lost American prestige, but he didn't think the outcome was a victory, either:

I wrote earlier this week that President Obama's trip to Copenhagen to lobby for Chicago's Olympics bid could be futile or even counterproductive. Obama-mania notwithstanding, the U.S. president is always seen at international gatherings as the ultimate Bigfoot, and nobody likes to be Bigfooted. Chicago used the Powell doctrine of "overwhelming force" to try to win, but in this context the deployment of presidential power and charisma only served to invite a comeuppance.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at hhorn at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Heather Horn