No one loves Barack Obama more than the District of Columbia. This goes without saying. During the 2008 presidential election, the nation’s capital delivered all 142 precincts to the president, which amounted to a whopping 93 percent support. So when the city council decided to formally invite Obama to a reception in his honor, you’d imagine the chances of his showing up would be fairly reasonable. Think again.

As WTOP’s Mark Plotkin reported yesterday, D.C. Council chairman Vincent Gray and the chairman pro tempore Jack Evans sent a letter to the president on January 4 that stated in part: “We take this opportunity to also formally invite you to a reception to celebrate our city’s most famous resident—yourself” at the John A. Wilson building, aka city hall, just two blocks from the White House. The councilmen note this would mark the first visit of a sitting president to city hall since the building was dedicated in 1908. Gray and Evans describe the District’s voting for Obama as “a feat unlikely ever to be equaled.” They ended by saying how “eagerly” they “look forward to this historic and memorable occasion.”