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Live Blogging Berlin>> Hurra! Barack Obama Ist Da!
9:00 PM, BERLIN, 24 July 2008
Back at the Adlon and pondering the speech. Live blogging, you only capture a moment. I'll be thinking about Obama's introduction of himself to the Old World for a long time. Basically, he gave the speech that many of us Americans knew he would give, but that Europeans, for all their interest in U.S. Politics, were not ready to hear.
It's not going to be easy for a President Obama, should he win in November, to shape European mindsets. Likely it's a good thing that he found that out early -- today. After the speech, a Brit reporter and I listened and took notes as Director Smith of the American Academy in Berlin held forth. "The audience expected a rock concert," he said. "Instead they got a serious, nuanced speech on foreign policy." This was Smith implicitly addressing the fact that the bar had been set so high for Obama in Berlin that perhaps it was not surprising that, on first consideration, he failed to rise to it. But Smith found the speech thoughtful and beautiful, as well as surprising. "It was aimed at Europeans, not at Americans. That's not what we expected. We thought it would be a campaign speech directed at the American audience back home."
Trust Barack Obama for boldness.
At the beginning of his remarks, Smith said, "I wanted to see if he is real, if there is anything beyond the mythology." Smith got his answer -- he couldn"t praise "the subtlety and humility" of Obama's speech enough. Other Brits heard a different Obama. "It was a speech to Americans on foreign soil," one young man said. "To sharpen Americans' diplomatic skills."
The final crowd tally for Berlin is not in. Richard Wolffe says the crowd stretched to the Brandenburg Gate. Will check the many German newspapers tomorrow.
7:20 PM, BERLIN, 24 July 2008
Senator Obama takes the podium and at first many in the crowd don't recognize him, for one of the Secret Service checking the podium shortly before is African-American. Obama calls himself not a candidate but a citizen, a citizen of the world. Speaking in English, with no German phrases, he begins quietly, to subdued applause.
Immediately, he invokes freedom, complimenting Berlin, "this city of all cities knows the dream of freedom."
Now is the time to build more bridges across the world." Interestingly, Obama is echoing much of Bill Clinton's speech at the Brandenburg Gate on July 12, 1994. "Building bridges, not walls," Clinton had said.
Despite the distracting echo from the video screens down the Strasse, the crowd is slowly warming to Obama.
They aren't so enthused about "a new dawn in the Middle East," but they applaud on Darfur, nuclear weaponry and "saving the planet"--the latter most of all. Berliners take in politely Obama's call for more action in Afghanistan.
"People of Berlin, this is our moment, this is our time.". Now towards the end of his speech, the Senator weaves in common phrases from his campaign. "The road ahead will be long."
The crowd has liked some of what they heard, but clearly they are just getting to know Barack Obama. To what extent he has met their expectations remains to be seen. Obama himself seems tired. At one point, he even stumbled in his phrasing--a rarity for him. Persuading Europeans to his view of joint engagement in the world is going to be a long process. Tonight has been a wobbly first step (great expectations contributing to a sense of an underwhelming performance), but as Obama himself has just said, the road will be long.
Later I'll tally the parallels with Clinton's speech. Bill has yet another reason to be pleased.
7:00 PM, BERLIN, 24 July 2008
Gypsy music now -- must be in Europe -- not to mention the fact that I haven't heard anything but German for three hours. The German press are taking photos of one another.
Traveling press (American) has arrived. As well as the mosquitoes.
Police estimate the crowd at 3,000 around Lady Victory and another 30,000 in the Strasse outside the security perimeter. Giant TV screens are out there for the late arrivals. Likely more people are strolling and cycling forward. Berliners have taken a casual attitude about the timing of this event. It is a beauteous evening, calm and free.
Have been re-reading Kennedy's and Clinton's Berlin speeches. How often will Obama invoke freedom?
4:15 PM, BERLIN, 24 July 2008:
How can there be so many German reporters? And not most of them TV? This is a nation devoted to reading.
Crowd in front of the monument has reached parity with press. They appear to be Europeans, mostly. How to tell -- other than the cigarette smoke blowing towards the podium set in front of Victory? Shoes. Energy level. Obama crowds stateside are never docile.
Of the few people I've questioned in the Tiergarten, everyone says they like Obama because they believe he will take the lead on climate change. "He is very close to Gore," a young Fraulein confides while her toddler stands quietly at her side.
Now here's an irony: Germans themselves have already set an example. No frigid air conditioning here -- not even at the Adlon. Despite wurst and beer, moreover, Germans are fit. Take the commuter train out to Potsdam, and you'll notice the absence of parking lots at the stations for the towns along the way. People walk to and from, even in winter.
Thank God some live reggae. It's kinda tentative though.
4:00 PM, BERLIN, 24 July 2008:
More press than people at Siegessaule, which needs one of those good European monument cleanings, by the way. Once again I've talked my way into the press compound. Although I've been credentialed for this event, my name is not on the list. Furthermore, the German Obama volunteers are a seriously bossy group of women. "Nein! You have left the working space" -- frowns accompanied by tapping of a watch face -- "it is four o'clock. No return." Three wardens confirm this decree among one another in rapid German. Too ridiculous. There's a press path to our own special porta-potties and snack bar (not as yummy as the ones along the Strasse.) I push past them.
Derivative Euro techno-music is playing. Just last week I'd said out loud, to no one in particular at a McCain meet in Albuquerque, that if I heard canned Bruce Springsteen one more time at a campaign event I'd spit. Be careful what you wish for.
3:00 PM, BERLIN, 24 July 2008:
No million for Obama in Berlin. Bill Clinton, who used to brag about the size of his crowds (a mil in Africa once), will be pleased. When I broach this possibility with Dirk Minow, he spews a torrent of laughter-punctuated German consonants -- something about a synapse-crazed German newspaper editor fostering the possibility. "Everybody will stay home and watch on TV," Dirk says. The man from Kiel should know. He's been assiduously following Obama on TV and YouTube.
With a sunflower in his straw hat, Dirk is standing at the corner of 17 Juni and Y. Rabin Strasse. He has the "welcome standard" he made at 2 AM as the gathering point for Americans Abroad. He's holding a sign urging Obama to run for Chancellor. Despite the sign, the standard and the sunflower, enthusiasts have yet to appear. A Japanese TV reporter is not detered and repeatedly thrusts his microphone at Dirk. More laughter. Clutches of Americans are racing by us on bicycles.
The action -- really the lack of it -- is back up the road at the Adlon. Stepping out the front entrance, I was taken aback to see, behind barricades, several hundred people standing as still and quiet as small animals caught in headlights on a country road. "They're waiting to see Obama arrive," the doorman tells me, before adding with hauteur, "but of course he's already inside."
Dirk and a new pal Heiner are disappointed that I "haven't met Obama in a small group." They are counting on him to bring major change to German-American relations. When I say that could mean more German troops in Afghanistan (and not just in the relatively peaceful districts), they don't seem to hear me. In fact, both men can not quite get beyond the fact that I come from the land of Bush. Guilt by association is seductive, I suppose.
Continuing through the Tiergarten, I find that the Obama food at this event is going to be the best ever: Pilsner, wursts and grilled summer mushrooms. Berliners are doing a brisk business.
5:00 AM, BERLIN, 24 July 2008:
"Be Obama, be change, be Berlin," the Berliner Zeitung babbles on the morning of the American Senator's visit to this city. The newspaper goes on to extol "the openness of the city," and how Obama will be showcasing Berlin to the world. Gary Smith, the director of the American Academy in Berlin, tells Zeitung, "For America, Berlin is the most interesting city..." Not sure that the folks back in the States would agree. But we all can see that Berlin, and Europeans farther afield than the River Spree, are caught in the grip of Obamamania. "Hurra! Barack Obama ist da!" Or, as the editorial page of Zeitung puts it, "Yes, he comes."
Every German newspaper today has devoted several pages to the Obama visit. "Obama, Obama, Obama -- kaum ein Blatt in Huseyin Dimirs Kreuzberger Zeitungsladen," says the Berliner Morgenpost, reporting that there are no papers left in the shops in Kreuzberger, the Turkish quarter of the city, an unwitting reference to the strained relationship between Germany and its Turkish immigrants. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung analyzes the pictorial differences between (the now discarded) Das Obama-Siegel and the U.S. Presidential Seal. (After all, this is the culture that introduced the discipline of art history.)
At 5 AM, this far north the sun has been up for a while, and I'm standing at my bedroom window on the top floor of the Hotel Adlon and looking out at a completely empty city. At home, early commuters would already be to-ing and fro-ing on the streets and sidewalks. This is but one example of how Berlin and Amerika don't really have all that much in common. Yet we share some history. This bond, as well as other histories, will be the prism through which everyone views Senator Obama's remarks this evening. By now, likely everyone knows he is speaking at the most unlikely of venues, the Siegessaule, a monument to German victory in the Franco-Prussian War and more generally to Prussian militarism itself. The statue has given its name to the best-known gay newspaper in Berlin. It is the destination of the annual Love Parade. In a strange way, therefore, the Siegessaule is right for Obama, in peace and in war, for it seems likely that if he is our next President, he will be known both for "love," in the adoration of supporters, and for "war," since he is determined to re-direct the war on terror to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
This early I'm thinking not so much of Barack Obama as Dirk Mirow, the self-described German Obamaniac "from Kiel at the Baltic Sea" who is organizing the Americans Abroad for Obama gathering at the Siegessaule. Kiel reminds me of German submariners. And it always seems strange, as a baby-boomer, to be standing on the eastern side of the Brandenburg Gate. Growing up during the Cold War, I had "night thoughts" about the evil designs of Russians and East Germans, whom I perceived completely through the lens of American propaganda. The eastern part of Berlin, for example, is nothing like the grim picture the Stalinist apartment blocks near the Wall presented to the world. With its lovely parks, old churches and Art Nouveau apartment blocks, the former East Berlin, and not the tired 60's architecture in much of the western part of the city, is the favored haunt. An historical irony -- the German papers today are making much of irony -- it will be interesting to hear if Senator Obama invokes it.
Obama's presence here is campaigning -- of course. I'm guessing that many Americans will take a dim view of his traipsing about Europe. So exactly what he is campaigning for is unclear. Leader of the world? Curiously, the Obama postcards that volunteers have been handing out in Berlin are completely in German. Certainly, many young Europeans embrace him as . . . some kind of leader. "It [Obama's visit to Berlin] symbolized [sic] the good relationship, which Obama will have with all Europeans and citizen [sic] of the world," writes one European fan on the Obama website. Later today I'm talking with some of these European Obamaniacs, for I'll be live blogging from Strasse des 17 Juni, the part of Unter den Linden renamed after a 1956 East German uprising in which hundreds of people were killed. The boulevard leads from the Brandenburg Gate westward to the Tiergarten, where Obama has that rendezvous with German history.
The Senator will get his Tor experience, after all -- and not just because spectators will go through security at the Brandenburg Gate and then walk the blocks west along Strasse des 17 Juni to the Tiergarten. (The closing of the ancillary streets will be a massive undertaking. No wonder Obama is costing the city of Berlin so many euros.) Obama meets Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit this afternoon here at the Adlon, in an upstairs room overlooking the Gate. By 6 AM, security is putting up the first of the barricades outside the hotel. By 8 AM, the concierge staff has beautifully arranged an arrivals table for the traveling press, and the requisite German Shepherd is heading upstairs to secure the floor. The lobby, full of other reporters, could be a harbinger of just how big the afternoon's stroll along the Strasse will be. I can't wait to find out. Stay tuned.
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Their will be always two kind of people in this world.
Those who believe and fight to change the world, and those who don't believe the believers and will do anything to censure them or eliminate them.
It's almost like a world of love, dreams and passion, against hate, bitterness and lies. I know where 200000 thousand people stand. I know where my country should be. I know why America was so disliked in the world. I know why the wrong war didn't make us stronger. I know why people came to see Obama, cheer America and hope he will be the new president of this country.
Bottom Line: There was no reason for Obama to go on his trip this week. Since he is not president, he cannot do anything about anything over there. So that leaves the ONLY reason for his visit being that he wanted to "look presidential" in all the hundreds of photo opportunities taken there and to show the US people that he DOES have foreign qualifications. Except that he doesn't, ya can't get them in a week. HE DID IT TO RAISE THE POLL NUMBERS since his weakest area had to do with his national security - foreign qualifications.
When he returns he'll need to visit the states where his POLL NUMBERS are lagging ... and he'll need to stress the economy. But let's be honest about why he went on his trip this week, OK?
Honestly, he will do anything he has to do to become president .... anything. Anything. He already has.
I am a democrat through and through and I am very upset and disappointed in him. I cannot vote for someone I cannot trust. Now what.
McCain told him to go.
Blame McCain.
Exactly.
Didn't Fox news have a countdown clock, showing how long it had been since Obama was last in Iraq?
And didn't McSame act like the schoolyard bully, double-dog-daring him to go?
Rethuglicans want it both ways, I guess -- trash him if he goes, and trash him if he doesn't. Sure smells like Karl Rove to me.
He went on the trip like other candidates have done. McCain did. Kerry did. There just wasn't the same press buzz. He is doing this because it underscores a central part of his campaign: to show the world that we can restore our credibility abroad. Also, despite his intellect, people in this country have doubted his capacity to serve as commander-in-chief. This addresses that concern. He had every right and reason to go. He has already travelled our country, during the longest primary season ever, more than any nominee. And if he doesn't do everything he can to win, he abuses the trust of those who have put our faith in him.
Really. He went there solely to attempt to bolster his chances in an American election. You really believe that.
The truth is, that he went to talk to the world about what he would like to do as President of the United States. Our image has been wrecked and respect lost for us by an under-manned fight in Afghanistan that still hasn't outright killed the people responsible for 9/11, an unjustified and seemingly intractable war in Iraq, a US dollar that has tanked (a lot of foreigners used to invest in the dollar, you know), a continuation in decline in our healthcare system, our current government has Americans out of work, out of a house, out of money, not able to afford groceries, has spied on its own citizens, and the list goes on. All the while, espousing freedom and democracy. The rest of the world sees us as hypocritical and we talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Obama is smart enough to know this, knows that in a global economy, and for our own survival, what the rest of the world thinks of us matters. He wants America and other nations to know that he won't let us continue to forego our relationships with other nations to serve an internal political agenda. THAT is why he went. Americans watching him oversees can gauge the world's reactions to him. To say that he went solely to bolster his image is not an educated statement.
Janet - Which Democratic candidate from the primaries just past do you think didn't want to do anything to become president? Hillary Clinton? If you think Hillary would not stoop low to become president, you were apparently not paying attention.
Do you think John McCain has less ambition? Again, if so, you have not paid attention to how much he has been willing to sell out his own principles, going so far as to oppose his own bills in the Senate, in order to court voters.
The fact is, in order for you to vote, you're going to have to choose one politician or another. And great ambition comes with the territory.
Now what? I'll tell you what: get out there and vote for the best choice. That choice for anyone willing to call themselves a Democrat (big "D") is Barack Obama.
Get real, Janet. T.
This is a political campaign. I am Democratic Socialist here and I was a Social Democrat in Germany who was born in Germany and twice arrested by Hitler's Gestapo after 1933.
Obama wasn't my first choice, Kucinich was and Edwards was my second and Richardson was my third. But that was not the way it went. We learned our lesson at he beginning of the 1930's, when the leftist parties didn't want to get together to defeat the Nazis. Each had the right solution and was stubborn.. And so Hitler won. We all know the rest.
Anybody not agreeing with the criminal deeds and corrupt policies of the Bush Regime must get behind Obama now and defeat McCain, who is a Bush clone.
Once Obama is elected , we must hold his feet to the fire and keep on watching him, so that he does not move over to the Republican side, when he "tries to keep this country of ours together across party lines."
We have to keep the two parties apart, because they stand for different values and goals. We must also elect a progressive veto-proof Senate and a progressive House of Representatives with Progressive leaders.
I want to let you know I live in Chicago, about 5 miles (I guess about 8 kilometers) from Obama's home. Don't expect miracles or any real change. He's what we call a Chicago/Cook County machine politician. The guy hasn't done anything as US Senator, from what we in his state see. Except run for president. Nothing exceptional as a state senator, either. Just went along with the agenda, as they say. Had pals like Tony Rezko and Ricky Smith so he's not totally scandal-free or at least is friends with folks who are scandalous.
Two examples of his that bother me and friends. Again, I live in Illinois. We are rated 50th in receiving veterans benefits (I was drafted by LBJ and sent to VietNam in my youth). A big to-do here. So when it made big news he said he'd really help us. He did nothing and now when veterans organizations call his office nobody even returns the calls. So he was all show-no go...Finally, there was a racist city alderwoman in Chicago named Dorothey Tillman. Who once on the city council floor screamed, "The Voting Rights Act pertains ONLY to African-Americans, not them Mexicans." While others wanted no part of her (even Jackson, Jr.) Obama endorsed her a year later for re-election. Thank goodness, she lost. But he never explained that endorsement. And the media never challenged him on it. Why?
PS: Hansharriet, just letting you know Obama will win the election. Main reasons: Media totally behind him + George Bush (very unpopular and rightfully so). Plus, he's a terrific public speaker. Although very weak when it comes to one-on-one questions. And his staff (mainly David Axelrod) protects him from tough questions.
Finally, I envy the fact you guys have multiple VIABLE political parties, rather then only two like we have . But I don't envy the extra high gas prices and unemployment you folks are always stuck with.
Just watched the speech on German TV live. Great to see that a least one American can inspire 200,000 Germans to show up and wave the US flag again. No not protesters throwing rocks. There are no longer walls or borders at Brandenburg Gate but there is a Star Bucks (seriously on the former East side of the Gate) overlooking it. You have to really search for the remnants of the wall now. Of course, most of the US embassies have some pretty formidable walls around them these days. Israel is building a really not so nice one right now, as the palestinians....Excited to tears that Obama has a chance to take the lead for the new generation of Americans, that are truely responsible citizens of the world. Dream on I know
Let me play devils-advocate. Since you are 'talking walls'.
Why did all you liberals then condemn Reagan when he asked Gorbachev 'to tear down that wall'. Believe me, I remember that very well. The liberals had thought he went too far.
Obama is bigger than GOD!
teembee
No. That is you way of launching stupid attacks. I don't believe in God and I support Obama because he is a much better than the "Hero" McCain. He is smart and inspirational visionary. I support most of his policies though I disagree with some of them. You calling "bigger than GOD" is you veiled effort of mocking him. It may be because you are envious that he is a much fresher candidate than your own.
teembee,
To make that statement,you apparently don't know God.But keep trying,you're
on the right train track.He is not God,nor is he or anyone on earth bigger,but as
both a bible scholar and devoted christian,I do believe Obama has been ordained
by God.
I was in Berlin for a week in June and, let me tell you, they are very interested in our election. Most Americans can't tell you that the German Chancellor is Angela Merckel, but Germans knew every candidate running for president and what parties they belonged to, as well as their general platforms (this was right before Clinton dropped out). Of course, almost everyone I met spoke English, too.
And with a huge Arab population as well as a long and turbulent history of Jews in Germany, they are keenly interested in US foreign policy...
Subdued applause? I was five people away from the podium and the crowd adored him - remember that many people were hearing the speech in a second or third language, so I would agree that maybe the reaction time was a bit delayed compared to an American crowd. Ms. Fowler, your columns are always interesting, but I hope everyone realizes that you were one of 200,000 people there today and not all of us perceived it the way you report.
"Fraulein," by the way, is also about the most sexist thing you can call a German woman without getting explicit.
I enjoy Ms. Fowler's posts. BTW, bellecloche, Ms. Fowler may be a little weak on her German. My reaction to the "Fraeulein" comment was that I hope she meant to say "junge Frau" with child since a Fraelein is a girl, presumably unmarried, or an unmarried woman. But, then again, I last visited the BRD in 1977, after living there from 1972-1975, courtesy of Uncle Sam.
It's not a terribly big deal, but differentiating between whether or not a woman is married in Germany is seen as extremely antiquated, or sexist, based on the intention. Everyone here is a "Frau." I got the impression from the whimsy of her tone that she wanted to throw in a word she'd heard from The Sound of Music or the like. I'm not trying to blast her, but since she was reporting on the atmosphere, I wanted to point out that this can be potentially insulting when you go abroad and report your superficial impressions without doing any research before or after.
fraulein is actually no longer an official german word.... it might even be mildly insulting at least in the circles of German speakers that I know. but yes i noticed also when he got more technical or detailed the applause was less. Best maybe to keep to the big picture in such venues, at least he didn't declare himself a jelly donut ( as "a Berliner" is a popular seasonal jelly filled pastry item)
OBAMA 08'
CAN'T WAIT TO VOTE FOR HIM IN NOV. THAT WAS AN AWESOME SPEECH!
Why is this man in Germany? Why would we tax payers care what other countries think of us, unless Obama knows there is a world war coming our way and is trying to get back up. Obama just can't seem to get enough attention. I despise the thought of this over bearing, ego maniac in the White House. Bush forbid our governmental officials from attending the circus Obama created today. I am assuming something terrible will be exposed about this man that will end his political career.
DianeCee put Cindy McCain meds down.. You sound foolish dear!
Ummm,
Maybe we care what other nations think of us because we need their help ... militarily, economically, etc. Pause a moment and you'll discover a bit of blind arrogance in your viewpoint.
I think he is the type of man that wants to play well with others. Unlike our current dear leader.
We need to realize we are not the only kid on the playground, or is hould say we need to stop being the bully.
"Why would we tax payers care what other countries think of us"??
Maybe because some of us can see beyond our own front lawns.
How could anyone in this day and age not get that the solutions to a whole raft of our major problems, from terrorism, to global warming, to energy costs, to the economy, depend on international cooperation?
So the man who will be our next President is taking care to understand the rest of the world and get them on our side. We've seen for almost 8 years what having a proudly ignorant, insular President has done for us. Yes, indeed, it is time for change.
Your kind of thinking, DiCee, has already been left in the dust.
He is there to try and restore our image. Plus i think this shows he can handle the international stage.
Capitalism has led us to the mess we are in right now (all for profit corporate greed), and the Europeans think Obama is going to save us? Are they crazy? McCain is going to continue the eight years of helI we are going through, and Obama is going to sacrifice his principles just to get elected"he"s moving to the right as we speak. Corporate greed will win as usual if we keep this two-party democracy mockery going. We need to stop this sell out NOW. WWW.VOTENADER.ORG. He's the only one who's on OUR side, not the no moral, all for one big corporations.The time to CHANGE is now.
You say Europeans are crazy because they think Obama will effect change. And you advocate voting for Nader? Now THAT'S what I call crazy.
Nader is interested in actual change. Change for O-bama is just a campaign slogan.
"Subdued applause?" Is that what you heard?
Here's from the BBC:
"Mr Obama arrived on stage to rapturous applause, to deliver a wide-ranging speech in which he called for a re-evaluation of international foreign policy."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7523892.stm
(caption for picture number 9)
The right-wing Die Welt said 215,000 were there.
http://www.welt.de/politik/arti2247154/215.000_Menschen_bejubeln_Barack_Obama_.html
Truly made one proud to be an American.
I just watched the speech. Mmmmm, testy
Great! I saw American flags, I saw a crowed that German politicians would envious . I saw Europeans cheering not booing, not protesting an American official. It's been a long time though.
And you know the odd feeling about it is that he is even not the president...yet.
The odd feeling is, I felt that they want him to be the world's voice. They wanted him to be already the president of America, to lead the world's challenges.
You can go to Europe and the world now folks, without feeling confined in you American shoes. You can be proud and say it loud if you want to, " I'm an American".
Here's another comment to ignore...
This blog post met my low expectations. The conclusion had been reached by 8AM and was then repeated a little after 8PM.
Good, unbiased reporting from way, way off the bus and just as far off the mark.
The America left idolizes Europe and the way the socialist European "intellectuals" have been able to move Europe to socialism and make political correctness the rule of the land.
Europe likes Obama because they see a fellow "progressive liberal". A Socialist. A man to take down American capitalism and move it toward weakness and socialism. They see Obama as an end to American economic power and the potential rise of their own power over us.
And just the other day the head of the English Church was calling for SHARIA law. Then one of their chief legal scholars was calling for sharia law. The Islamification of Europe is well underway and the leaders of Europe are in several cases saying it cannot be "undone" and to "resist" is "wrong".
I'm not surprised that such people feel Obama is their man, their hope, the one to lead America in the self destructive path the Europeans have followed.
Obama subscribes to the self-hating far left religion. I say we defend our economy, we drill for our own oil, we build carbon free nuclear power, we stand up to our enemies....and we lose the weakness and self destructive baggage of the far left. Obama would have left Irag for Iran and Al Qaeda.....Obama is NOT CAPABLE of standing up to evil in this world.....he will capitulate, he will surrender.,
And....as the world turns further and further away from us, as it sees us as more and more self-reverential and greedy, as the global economy and global conflicts continue to drain our resources....the United States of America becomes just another failed and faded icon that will have been left behind.
NO THANKS!
yawn. You should really update your old rants from time to time. Right now it looks like Wallstreet and the Bushies are quite capable of bringing down the system by themselves. Many are already crying for the mommy state to save them again.
I AM HUFFINGTONPOSTER231
I HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED TO REPEAT GOP TALKING POINTS
I CRAVE AUTHORITARIAN RULE
MY CHIPSET DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO THINK FOR MYSELF
I SEE THE WORLD IN MANICHEAN TERMS EXLCUSIVELY
GOOD VS. EVIL GOOD VS. EVIL GOOD VS. EVIL
I AM HUFFINGTONPOSTER231
Litmus "I CRAVE AUTHORITARIAN RULE"
Actually if you can refer to history...todays liberal, is yesterdays socialist. You all love Che, Castro and Chavez. That is authoritarian rule. The conservative wants less government, the liberal wants more....the more government you have, the more authoritarian rule you have, or orders coming down from high...
Think before you blog.
America has tried isolationism before led to WWII like it or not Obama is right. We live in a SMALL world. Did you not hear his speech and how the terrorist used so many countries to achieve their goal on 9-11
We HAVE tried to bully the Europeans and got no where (witness their help in the wars) Why not try diplomacy? We have what to loose?
Europe is not America agreed. But once upon a time not long ago, all of Europe yearned for the American way. Look at how they dress, the music, the interest now in American politics. We should lead with the greatness and honor and valour our country is known for . Now IS the time.
I don't think I've ever seen a total group of diverse individuals (Europeans) so overwhelmingly reduced to a single sterotype. The head of the Anglican church did not call for Sharia law and he does not speak for most Brits much less Europeans no more than any single cleric in the US speaks for all Americans. Obama has repeatedly stated he wants to take the fight to our enemies in Afghansitan but you don't listen because you are only interested in reinforcing stereotypes instead of addressing realities.
Here are some German-media links for English-speaking HP members:
http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_single_mediaplayer/0,,3509030_type_video_struct_1432,00.html?mytitle=Obama%2Bis%2BWelcomed%2Bin%2BBerlin
http://www.dw-world.de/select_html/0,,,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,567552,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,567066,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,567074,00.html
Thanks
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Posted July 24, 2008 | 08:47 AM (EST)