London and the Olympics

Was amazed to hear that London edged Paris for the Olympics... I guess it is cool, but I have always been skeptical about cities like London Paris and New York gaining much from the Olympics... It seems to make much more sense for cities like Atlanta or Seoul that have the infrastructure to support this kind of event but can still benefit from worldwide brand exposure and the increased tourism that it can bring. I think in the case of London or Paris their international profile is already so high that I'm not sure what they stand to gain other than the opportunity for some good old fashioned civic/nationalist chestbeating. Of course Bureaucrats will get to bureaucrate (is there a correct verb for what these people do?) and government will get to meddle and muddle. Its a great opportunity for civil servants and tax supported fools of every stripe to strut and fret their hour upon the world stage. I REALLY hope that Ken Livingstone is gone by 2012. I do not want this chump embarassing me or my city in front of the world with the garbage that is sure to spew from his mouth on this occasion. I am also worried that hosting a world event of this magnitude will send the multiculturalists and priests of political correctness into overdrive and new heights of absurdity
We shall see.