Rahm Emanuel is in a fight for his political life, facing a tough re-election election vote on April 7, and running against Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in a city with a large and growing Hispanic population. That is probably the reason he would suggest renaming one of two Chicago airports – Midway and O’Hare – after Barack Obama. The city’s substantial black vote is, after all, up for grabs.

Adam B. Lerner of Politico reports:

When asked at a candidate forum at Chicago State University why he was no longer supporting his own proposal to name two high schools after Obama and influential religious and community leader Arthur Brazier, Emanuel said that he was still looking for ways to “acknowledge people who have done significant things.”

“We have an airport, two of them, you know, Midway Airport, O’Hare Airport,” Emanuel said. “[Obama and Brazier] are people who have been transformative in the city of Chicago. But we have airports named after battleships.”

Hizzoner has a very shaky grasp of what Midway Airport honors. It is named after the Battle of Midway, the turning point in the Pacific during World War II. And, of course, the ship later named after the battle was an aircraft carrier, not a battleship. The larger airport, O’Hare, is named after an aviator hero.

It would be a supreme outrage to dishonor valiant service members and rename an airport after a failed president who never served in the military.