Hotline After Dark -- Place Your Bid

"World News" led with Pres. Obama's push for the Chicago '16 Olympic bid. "Evening News" led with the Iranian missile tests. "Nightly News" led with swine flu.

Pols and pundits made the rounds to discuss Obama's trip to Copehnhagen, Denmark to make the case for Chicago's '16 Olympic bid before the IOC 9/28 p.m.

WH sr. adviser Valerie Jarrett, on whether Obama risks "using some of his political capital" if Chicago doesn't get the bid: "Oh, no. Absolutely not. ... The president is a competitive spirit. He's very interested in promoting Chicago and bringing the Olympics and Paralympics to our shores. He's not thinking about the political calculus. He's thinking about what's best for the American people. And having the most important sporting event in the world on our shores again would be terrific, not just for Chicago, but for our whole country" ("Situation Room," CNN, 9/28).

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), on neglecting the McChrystal report in lieu of the Olympics: "It's [McChrystal report] going to sit on a shelf until the president reaches the decision on a new strategy. But then this week, at the end of the week, he's willing to go to Copenhagen to make the pitch for the Olympics in Chicago. So people are wondering and believing that this president has his priorities mixed up" ("On the Record," FNC, 9/28).

New York Daily News' DeFrank: "This is classic damage control. I think if the president were not to go and it doesn't become Chicago, then I think he might take a little political heat" ("Hardball, MSNBC, 9/28).

After the jump, more on Obama's Copenhagen trip and Afghanistan.

(ABBY LIVINGSTON)

Pols and pundits discussed Obama's Afghan policy 9/28 p.m.

Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), on Obama speaking with Gen. Stanley McChrystal once in 70 days: "I think it's baffling that the president has time to travel to Copenhagen ... and yet, he doesn't have time to talk with and listen to his top general" ("Situation Room," CNN, 9/28).

CNN's Crowley, on the backlash Obama has faced over his Copenhagen trip: "I think that the president would have had an easier time explaining this had he not said two weeks ago that he couldn't do it because health care was too important and he had to work on that. ... I think they took a look and they saw that some of the other cities in contention were sending their leaders. And so he felt the need to go ahead and do this. ... His big mistake was saying two weeks ago he couldn't go because he was far too busy" ("Campbell Brown," 9/28).

Ex-Clinton asst. Sec/State James Rubin: "The idea of a president lobbying in person on a sort of site question, the site of an event, is pretty unusual. But those Chicago people take their politics and their city pretty seriously" ("Campbell Brown," CNN, 9/28).

MCCHRYSTAL CLEAR

Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), on the risks Obama runs by waiting to implement McChrystal's plan: "If we don't have the right strategy or we delay too long, then the Taliban will come back in from Pakistan, to Afghanistan in large numbers, with their al Qaeda friends, and they will reestablish control over a country which was the launching pad for the 9/11 attacks in the United States. And it's time they get busy. There is a plan. If the president doesn't want to hear it ... the people in Congress, folks like me, want to hear it, and I think the people of America have a right to know it" ("Situation Room," CNN, 9/28).

LA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R): "It's amazing some of the same Democratic members of Congress that for years under President Bush kept saying we need to be in Afghanistan and not Iraq. Now that we're now that the top in Afghanistan don't want us to be there, as well, I fundamentally believe we should obviously listen to commanders on the ground. They're asking for a chance to be successful" ("Hannity," FNC, 9/28).

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), on Obama's minimal direct communication with Gen. Stanley McChrystal: "You've got the commanding general, and the commander-in-chief has only talked to him one time in the last six or seven months. That is unbelievable when we've got troops in harm's way and things are not going well" ("On the Record," FNC, 9/28).

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), on Obama's minimal direct communication with McChrystal: "It's vitally important that every president that I know of has talked directly to the generals. Of course you observe the chain of command. But here is the person who has the direct responsibility, General McChrystal, in this case, of some 60,000 some thousand young Americans. And I just out of idle curiosity, I would talk to him" ("O'Reilly Factor," FNC, 9/28).