OBAMA AIRPORT?
There is currently considerable speculation about whether, or when, a major US airport might be named after President Obama.
Chicago's Midway Airport (MDW) has been suggested as a possible candidate for renaming as Obama Airport. Named for the famous WWII Battle of Midway, the airport is located in Barack & Michelle Obama's adopted hometown, Chicago. During the 1950's, Midway Airport was the busiest airport in the USA, but traffic was greatly reduced after Chicago O'Hare Airport was built. Midway Airport now serves as a secondary airport for the Chicago area, with mostly regional & commuter air traffic. There are also a number of Internet references to the idea of renaming O'Hare International Airport to "Barack Obama International Airport", but Midway Airport currently seems a more likely prospect. Honolulu International Airport, in Hawaii, has also been mentioned in various Internet blogs as a possible for renaming "Barack H. Obama International Airport". As his state of birth, Hawaii might seem an appropriate host for an airport named for President Obama. In 2012, Las Vegas McCarran Airport became involved in a controversy over the name of the airport. Some commentators in the area objected to having the former legislator's name on the airport, referring to policies that he supported during his term in office. A suggestion was made that the airport be renamed "Barack Obama Airport". As President Barack Obama has little or no historical connection with the city of Las Vegas, or the state of Nevada, such a name change seems unlikely. With President Obama's wide popularity outside the United States, it is not inconceivable that an airport may eventually be named for him in a foreign country. His father was from Kenya, and in 2008, a veritable frenzy of excitement erupted over the US presidential election. In western Kenya, there was consideration of a project to refurbish and rename a regional Kenyan airport as "Obama Airport". This idea was apparently never brought to fruition, perhaps due to lack of funds for the necessary construction work. With his 2012 re-election to a second presidential term, it appears more likely than ever that there will eventually be a major airport named: Barack Hussein Obama Airport. The question remains: Where?
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