On a superficial level, what went down Monday at the White House was a standard-issue, by-the-script ceremony honoring another professional sports champion at the seat of American power. For beginners, those were the Chicago Cubs, still adorable and still adored by vast swaths of the nation — not to mention the West Wing — gathered there in the East Room on Monday afternoon. And that was President Obama, a South Side Chicagoan and avowed White Sox fan, gushing about the attributes of the rival North Siders standing behind him. It had taken the Cubs 108 years to win a World Series title, and it took Obama about two seconds to break out the what-took-you-so-long jokes. “Here is something none of my predecessors ever got to say: Welcome to the White House, the World Series champion Chicago Cubs.

Source: Washington Post January 16, 2017 22:52 UTC