Obama Berlin Speech: US Foreign Service Workers Instructed Not To Attend

**UPDATE 7/25** ThinkProgress now reports that the bar on Foreign Service workers attending Obama's speech in Berlin --through what a diplomat's union called an "unnecessarily narrow interpretation" of the Foreign Affairs Manual-- may be even more partisan than initially reported. Despite railing against Obama for giving a speech outside the country, John McCain himself gave a speech in Ottowa as recently as June of this year, as reported by The Huffington Post's Rachel Weiner yesterday. Now, ThinkProgress reveals that McCain's speech in Canada prompted no such restrictions for the country's Foreign Service workers. In fact:

The event was reportedly organized in part by U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins, whom President Bush appointed in 2005. But more than that, the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa confirmed to ThinkProgress that Wilkins also attended the event.

Not only did McCain make clear references to and critiques of Obama's policy positions in the speech, but he also referred to his own presidential campaign six times.

***

Although it appears most of Berlin is heading to Obama's speech today, US Foreign Service personnel will be banned from the event. And they are not happy. The American Foreign Service Association, a union of Foreign Service workers are opposing the rule. Read more from The Washington Post. And watch the speech live here.

The U.S. Embassy in Berlin has instructed Foreign Service personnel stationed there not to attend Sen. Barack Obama's public rally today, which the State Department this week labeled a "partisan political activity" prohibited under its regulations for those serving overseas.

Government employees serving in the United States are permitted to attend such events under the Hatch Act, which bars other partisan activity, such as contributing money or working in behalf of a candidate...

...The American Foreign Service Association, the union of the diplomatic corps, objected to the ruling, calling it an "unnecessarily narrow interpretation" of the Foreign Affairs Manual. "The fact that you are working for the U.S. government overseas should not preclude political activity that you could engage in in the United States," one retired senior Foreign Service officer said.

HuffPost blogger Jacob Heilbrunn looks into the political connections around the rule:

Indeed, the administration has a long and tawdry record of trying to browbeat government agencies into submission, whether it's the CIA or the Centers for Disease Control. The State Department is perhaps highest on the list of conservatives and neocons who see it as the center of disloyalty and treachery. But this latest action represents a new low. If it's going to these lengths, the Bush administration must be really worried about Sen. John McCain's prospects.

Comments

[kensch]

09:22 AM on 07/28/2008

Hatch Act Misconceptions

This article perpetuates misconceptions about the Hatch Act: it states Federal employees mayt not contribute to a candidate for office. This is not true.

These federal and D.C. employees may-

* be candidates for public office in nonpartisan elections
* register and vote as they choose
* assist in voter registration drives
* express opinions about candidates and issues
* contribute money to political organizations
* attend political fundraising functions
* attend and be active at political rallies and meetings
* join and be an active member of a political party or club
* sign nominating petitions
* campaign for or against referendum questions, constitutional amendments, municipal ordinances
* campaign for or against candidates in partisan elections
* make campaign speeches for candidates in partisan elections
* distribute campaign literature in partisan elections
* hold office in political clubs or parties

http://www.osc.gov/ha_fed.htm#may

While the Foreign Service may have separate rules, generally Fdederal Employees may attend political rallies (yes, Virginia, even partisan ones) and contribute money to candidates.

[giantsteps]

01:30 PM on 07/27/2008

I don't worry about trivia from people who mean nothing in the scheme of things. I live by a simple philosophy-Karma. Bush' s days as president are coming to an end. Karma is all about balance. So Mr. Bush, I would hate to walk in your shoes.

[Donnat]

12:04 AM on 07/27/2008

Like these foreign service workers can't pick up the German papers the next day and see the pictures of the thousands of Obama fans and read the text of his speech. Bush and his lackeys are fools if they think they can stop the Obama train.

[larmarch5]

04:51 PM on 07/26/2008

Any FS employee who complained was probably threatened with being sent to Iraq -- and stationed outside the Green Zone. Talk about counting the days, the career (not appointed) civil servants must be trying to turn the clocks ahead. I can't wait till all the missing emails show up on a back-up take some hero has sequestered for a safer time to reveal them. I worked for a fed agency and there are regs for those back-up tapes. That's why that guy Bloch hired an outside service to come in and wipe his disk. Ha ha, that's funnny. I'll leave it.

[LeLoup]

02:21 PM on 07/26/2008

I am very glad the Bush Administration prevented the Foreign Service workers to attend Obama's speech in Berlin.

Why?

Because we get to see in broad daylight the true measure of how desperate they are! The end is near, they know it, they know we know it, but they can't help themselves. They got to do SOMETHING, anything.

Even with the impressive set of Pavlovian behaviors the Repugnicrats successfully induced in the mainstream media, the blaring wingnut propaganda machine at their service, even with the tools of power available to them, it is game over.

Don't believe it? Don't DARE to believe it?

OK! Then, just ask yourselves this simple question: What would be the mood in this country if McCain won the Presidency?

A sense of "tell me this isn't happening" would set in and it wouldn't be pretty.

Do you think a majority of voters will feel differently when it'll be time to mark their choice in the booth on the 4th of November?

I do not think so.

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

07:49 PM on 07/26/2008

The administration and the republican party is so corrupt I still worry that they will try to steel the election again. Look at the voting problems around the country. I pray Obama wins. The republicans are scared to death they are losing control at every branch of government. They are going to let go so easy. They had the power for 12 yrs or so and it didn't take long for them to screw the country up.

[Dupree]

08:55 AM on 07/26/2008

TO: Trinidad707
"I thought Obama believed in equality for all....why did he not let foreign service workers in to his speech....you gotta be wondering......it can't be for a good reason....more like bad!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Did you bother to read the actual article prior to quoting this comment? How can you blame Obama for the Bush Administration prohibiting the US Foreign Service Worker for attending his speech? And yet when McCain spoke in Canada, the Bush Administration did not limit the US Foreign Service Workers from attending that event. The US Foreign Service Workers wanted to attend and Obama would have welcomed them BUT the Bush Administration PREVENTED them from attending. Please take out time to acutally READ the article in CONTEXT so that you can be more enlightened and informed PRIOR to go into "ATTACK OBAMA MODE" for any reason snatched out of the air of political desire to simply blast Obama. I look at both candidates and Yes, I choose Obama over McCain BUT due to the desire to weigh them on a scale of integrity and accuracy. I do not take McCain words or action out of context. I do not give Obama a free pass but scrutinize him as well. This is about out country and the political climate demands less spin and more accurate evaluation.

[goldnchyl]

09:55 PM on 07/26/2008

T ro ll alert! Trinidad707

[leburg]

08:24 AM on 07/26/2008

If McCain gave a speech in Berlin the foreign service workers would have been mandated to attend and have been among the few who cared what he might have mumble.

So far, they can't mandate who they vote for.

[Trinidad707]

03:53 AM on 07/26/2008

I thought Obama believed in equality for all....why did he not let foreign service workers in to his speech....you gotta be wondering......it can't be for a good reason....more like bad!

[BluefortheUSA]

08:09 AM on 07/26/2008

CAN YOU READ? It's the Bush administration that isn't letting foreign service workers in.
If you don't understand a story, at least keep your mouth shut and you won't look so STUPID.

[Imzadi]

09:32 AM on 07/26/2008

Obama had NO say in the matter. It was the US Gov't, the STATE DEPARTMENT, that made the illegal declaration that employees were forbidden to attend the rally.

Reread the article.

[Marcee]

02:41 AM on 07/26/2008

Isn't this two counts of violating the Hatch Act? Clearly the Bush administration is doing everything behind the scenes to help McCain.

Count 1: US Embassy workers in Berlin are Federal employees. According to the Hatch Act, federal employees are allowed to participate in political rallies and meetings. Obama's speech was in the early evening, after work hours. http://www.oklahoma.feb.gov/Forms/HatchActFlyer.pdf

Count 2: Canadian newspapers reported US Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins helped organize McCain's so-called "non political" June 20th $100 dollar a person luncheon in Ottawa to the Economic Club of Canada. The luncheon was clearly political with McCain praising NAFTA and suggesting that opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement is “nothing more than retreating behind protectionist walls.” Obama is a well known opponent of NAFTA. In his official capacity as a federal employee, Wilkins is not to collect money (i.e., for fundraiser lunch) on the part of any candidate, participate in partisan politics during his workday (i.e., Wilkins also attended the luncheon), use their offices for any partisan functions. Don't tell me he didn't use Embassy telephone, support staff etc. to help organize this event. Read more the Washington Post link.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/06/19/democrats_question_ambassadors.html

[checkitout]

01:28 PM on 07/26/2008

Bush has to help McCain. (1) That's his ticket to a pardon, if impeachment process starts and (2) coz Dick C. wants to make more money war profiteering - the main reason they don't want to leave Iraq and the reason they are getting ready to start problems in Iran. Mo' money, Mo' money, Mo' money.

[genseric13]

10:59 PM on 07/25/2008

I noticed the crowd didn't cheer when he said we had to battle terrorists but when he mentioned Americans commit torture, the crowd went wild. Sounds like the average good German didn't come to this silly spectacle (campaign commercial).

[GGinCA]

12:45 AM on 07/27/2008

No, that is not what he said, and that is not how the crowd responded. Sorry, Karl.

[Heavy]

07:00 PM on 07/25/2008

There wasn't enough room for them anyway.

[shelobo]

06:04 PM on 07/25/2008

This must be an example of the SOCIALISTIC control that the Republicans have over Foreign Service workers ?You know the very thing that Sean Hannity and Limbaugh have been accuseing Obama of .Sean Hannity last night on his show couldn't seem to stand ANYONE questioning his comments ,when Luntz was ,oddly defending Obama Hannity had a fit and started his ranting about socialism ,along with his'Hannitys' crying about how WEALTHY peoples taxs could be raised ,mainly HIS ,as he just signed a multi-MILLION dollar contract on his Smear Americans radio show .Hannity even accused Hillary Clinton of the same thing he is accuseing Obama of .... http://mediamatters.org/items/200707020004 .Fox is going to lose it's 'war' on decent , moral freedom loving Americans that still have values left that they live by,HONESTY is one of them.

[gigi09]

01:29 AM on 07/27/2008

Don't watch FOX news! You can hear about them through Huffington!

[bellecloche]

09:57 AM on 07/25/2008

How horrid.

[Gary47]

12:05 AM on 07/25/2008

Only six more months of this lunacy. Yeah! God bless America.

[Diplomacy]

10:57 PM on 07/24/2008

The "Bushie" Administration is really running scared!

They've really interfered in Barack Obama's trip to Germany, what with the controversy over the venue, running interference with Merkel, now the Foreign Service & the Military. WOW!

Nonetheless, the crowd came out for Barack Obama. The 'masses' know he is the LEADER for this time! The URGENCY of NOW!

No burning effigies, no burning flags! WAVING American flags in BERLIN is a breath of fresh air.

I was in LONDON in the past few years when BUSH visited, and you didn't dare go into LONDON on a BUSH visit. The MASSES were out in DEMONSTRATION! Millions on the street in PROTEST. Naturally, people in America weren't AWARE as the main stream media didn't REPORT the REAL NEWS! What else is new? The main stream media do a REAL DIS-SERVICE TO AMERICANS! Such a shame the REAL NEWS is SANATIZED!

[checkitout]

11:26 PM on 07/25/2008

I was in London when that demonstration happened - and Americans don't have to fear the British people. They won't attack Americans - that's not their style. They are an intelligent bunch that knows the difference between the American people and the American government. In fact, many Americans attended that rally alongside the British.

[genseric13]

11:39 PM on 07/25/2008

The Muslims In Britain may not love us as much as you let on. They are the ones to worry about.