Illinois Hopes 'Obama Buzz' Will Boost Tourism

From Business Week:

Tourism officials in Illinois say they expect a boost from Barack Obama's election, and they're doing what they can to capitalize on the Obama buzz.

A Chicago tourism Web site invites travel-planners to "experience the city the Obamas enjoy." The Illinois Bureau of Tourism plans to launch a three-day getaway featuring Obama sites... A hand-lettered sign in one Chicago bookstore window congratulates "longtime customer" Obama. And a nearby restaurant has sold 3,000 T-shirts that read "Obama Eats Here."...

There's only one problem. I checked out some of these tourism sites and neither Bill Ayers' home, Jeremiah Wright's residence, Trinity church, or even Michael Pfleger's church, are listed in their itineraries. [neither is the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America's headquarters]

These important landmarks provide much more insight into Obama's character and lifestyle than do the restaurants he eats in or the bookstores he frequents. Americans are simply not interested in Obama's dietary habits or his scholarly pursuits. They want to get to know the real Barack Obama. They want to find out more about his character: his friends and associates - and his firebrand preachers.

Unless such historic landmarks, like Bill Ayers' home, are included in the itinerary, the 'Obama Get Away' tour will turn out to be an abysmal failure and the Illinois tourism business will end up going broke!