Great Expectations

(Berlin) -- Tomorrow Senator Barack Obama will deliver a major speech in front of the Siegessäule, or "Victory Column," in Berlin. He will speak in front of thousands -- some have predicted hundreds of thousands -- in a speech that will mark the first and only major public address of his closely followed overseas tour.

People have grown to expect a lot from Senator Obama's speeches, but then, people have grown to expect a lot from Senator Obama. He is hailed, for better or worse, not just as a rising political star and potential future U.S. president but as a bearer of hope -- a savior.

True, as the campaign has gotten muddier and Obama has made the American politician's traditional migration to the center, the Senator has lost some of his shine and it seems that in many corners the Obama-worship has cooled into controlled optimism. The Spiegel cover shown above (which reads: Germany Meets The Superstar) is partly tongue-in-cheek, both an acknowledgment of the Obamamania that has caught fire in Europe and a play on "Germany Seeks A Superstar", the German version of American Idol. Nevertheless among the people (and especially among Europeans, who view him as the glittering Anti-Bush) he remains enormously popular. According to a Spiegel poll 76% of Germans think Obama would make the better President compared with 10% who would prefer Sen. John McCain.

Due to a combination of factors, Obama's powerful speeches, his relative youth, and the excitement his candidacy has generated, comparisons to the fond figure of John F. Kennedy have been abundant. The endorsements of both Sen. Edward Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy (the latter in a notable op-ed ) have also certainly contributed to this idea.

Whether Jack or Jesus these are big shoes to fill. And though anticipation is running high, no one really knows what to expect.

What will Obama say?

What's clear is that he will address the German-American relationship and stress unity and the rebuilding of alliances. These themes are universal pleasers and of course very important. On the pricklier side, some in Germany suspect that, in an effort to highlight his recent push for a refocusing of U.S. energies away from Iraq and onto Afghanistan, he may call for increased German support there. (Germany has some 3,200 troops stationed in Afghanistan but has, for political and historical reasons, resisted taking on an expanded combat role beyond its current peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts.)

What's also clear is that the senator's speech, despite its location, will be meant more for American ears than for German ones. Obama is engaged, for those who have forgotten, in an active presidential campaign and the world tour he's embarked on is not a vacation from, but rather a part of that campaign, meant to shore up his foreign policy credentials and deflect criticism that he his a foreign policy lightweight. Though it may seem like a victory lap, it is campaigning and an early plan for Obama to speak in front of Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate -- ala Ronald Reagan -- was squashed for precisely that reason (German chancellor Angela Merkel felt it was an inappropriate venue for a political candidate).

The ongoing status of the campaign has complicated the trip in other ways as well. As Maureen Dowd of the Times pointed out in a recent column, Obama must walk a very fine line in his foray abroad. He must act and appear presidential without acting as though he is already President and thereby seeming arrogant. He must show he can heal our wounded foreign alliances without appearing too chummy with the Europeans and putting off meatloaf-eaters at home.

The more interesting question is, perhaps, not what will Obama say -- but what can he say? Whatever words the senator from Illinois summons, it's likely that expectations have risen beyond the point of possible fulfillment.

To quote the German news magazine Der Spiegel (21.7.2008):

"He is awaited like a wizard, who can transform a dull world into a beautiful one. There's never been so much fuss in Germany over a candidate's visit. Obama wants to be President of the United States, but there's so much ado, that it's as if he were already two steps further, as though he were the president of the world. ...Surrounding Obama is the impression that he won't just change America, but politics itself."

The article goes on to make an important point, namely that Obama has become as much a symbol as a man. In a time of economic crisis, war and political turmoil, a worried Western world has heaped its hopes on Barack Obama and pinned its future on his star.

The reason the simple campaign slogans of "change" and "hope" have proven so appealing to so many is that the direction of events over the last eight years has left a majority of people hungry, above all, for a dramatic change of course. Whether that would happen under a President Obama, of course, remains to be seen.

Obama is known for his strong, stirring speeches. His opponents have tried to turn this against him by characterizing him as little more than a pretty-talker. But Obama has never been "just words". He has inspired in people a forgotten optimism that would be the necessary engine of any real change in America. In other words, Obama hasn't just talked about hope, he's given people hope, something very real indeed.

Whether Obama is the soon-to-be President of the World is probably a silly question. Even so, as he takes the stage in Berlin on Thursday afternoon, the world will be watching.

Comments

[Okieborn]

America need not be concerned about what Sen. Obama will say at the Victory Column in Berlin !!
What America should Watch in concern is what Mccain=Bush will say in any town or city in the United States !!!!

[vsign]

This has happened before.

ONCE UPON A TIME: A people elected a leader because they thought they could win with him. He seemed more powerful than he was because of new technologies. The microphone, radio and film made his voice seem more powerful than he was. Today there are new technologies that are influencing this election to propel an unprepared and untested candidate to the world stage in much the same way. These new technologies of the internet, 24 hour media sources, and the entertainm­ent/advert­ising industries have intersected with our culture to create this moment in time.

This has all happened before.

[thedirtman]

Obama has hit onto something. An October trip to Tokyo, Beijing, and Jakarta would seal the election and send a warm message around the globe. Fantastic.

[TheIndependenceParty]

In my travels overseas for work in the last six years, I have been struck by the patience of everyone I have met, with America's blunders and bombast in Bush's terms. I could only offer that not every American agreed with this man who guided us so far off track.

It IS important what our allies hear from Obama. It is even more important that they see the American People make a change in November.

[MPeter]

Anyone worried about what Obama can or will say needs to relax. There is no one more aware of the importance of this moment to America and the world than Obama. I remind you, people were nervous when he gave a speech at the DNC onvention, he was a relative unknown with room to blunder, but it never happened. Then he took to Ebenezer Church on MLk's birthday. He blew all the skeptics away. They were nervous when he took on the Race Speech in Philadelphia but he impressed everyone. Then some old school politician, in a moment of temporary madness, dared him to go to Afganistan, Iraq and the Middle East--a land one can safely metaphorically describe as a political minefield. He navigated it with the level of finnesse only Obama can--flawless and picturesque. Now he is in Europe, America's best best, standing where political greats have stood before. My friends, fasten your seatbelts and take in the moment. It is as monumental and historical as anyone can ever imagine. This is when Obama, with a single trip and a single speech, repairs 50% of the damage caused by neocons over the last eight years.

[egal]

Um...seman­tics, as always, but Obama's so-called "tacks to the center" are all either his consistent views or rather obvious political intentions for anyone who read his record and/or website and views.

[elmoor]

Don't underestimate the power of hope...

[Barb]

What time is his speech?

[MPeter]

The speech is at 1.00 PM. CNN, BBC and CBC are carrying it live. I am not sure about other networks. He will speak for 60 minutes.

[Rightiesrule]

Correction, he will speak on TV for 60 minutes. Much like a teenage girl, I suspect he starts speaking as soon as his feet hit the floor in the morning.

[lafrance]

I was just telling my husband that in Germany, the expectations are so high for Obama that the man cannot possibly meet them. It is one thing for people to look forward to Obama's speeches, which are a delight for everyone who will listen, and to admire this man who seems to navigate the most perilous waters with ease. But, another to set him up to be exactly like another person, especially one who was president when he was born and put him on a pedestal.
I honestly believe most democrats do not look upon Obama as a god or want him to be one. What most are looking for is a real democrat who is in the classic mold of a kennedy or Roosevelt. Tough, strong, inspiring, realistic and able to stand up to and put in place the republicans and do so with class.
We want a great democrat. This Obama is and will be. So, in terms of what we want and why we cheer is that he is not a messiah as critics charge but, someone who promises to be a great democrat. A classic democrat.

[Gma11]

Bless you, Barack, as you speak to us all.

[TaosJohn]

Re this:

The article goes on to make an important point, namely that Obama has become as much a symbol as a man. In a time of economic crisis, war and political turmoil, a worried Western world has heaped its hopes on Barack Obama and pinned its future on his star.

The first sentence is absolutely true and very important. He's a symbol of transformation, and everyone can sense it.

The second sentence in the quotation above is bullshit and completely misses the point about what Obama is about. Namely, that we can each transform ourselves and at the same time be responsible, happy participants in working for the greater good. This "pinning the future on his star" is the OLD way of thinking and in no way represents what people are actually feeling...

[1will]

I don't think Obama will ever have a problem finding things to say. Remember that this is the man that has written two books about himself despite being relatively young and having few noteworthy accomplishments. Give him an audience and the words will flow. A few might even be true or relevant.

[Pavane]

1will, you probably meant well, but when you say, "having few noteworth accomplishments" in terms of Obama, may I respectfully suggest you read his bio. His accomplishments are incredible. Harvard law school. Constitutional scholar. Chicago coalitions. Illinois legislature. Senator. Author, 2 books. Married to a Harvard lawyer. 2 beautiful children.

He has a LIFETIME of accomplishments, yet he is not even 50. The man is brilliant. And, plainly he also possesses the continual alert energy of superman. What a refreshing change - pardon the pun - from the beer drinkin' bubba that is our soon-to-be-gone president.

[1will]

I still see no real accomplishments.
A liberal graduated from a liberal college, he's a Constitutional Scholar that can't properly read the 2nd Amendment, Chicago coalitions are nothing to brag about since Chicago should be the poster child for corrupt, dirty politics, we have had a lot of Senators- Obama has done little while holding the office except run for President, he wrote 2 flattering books about himself. The accomplishment may be finding someone to publish the books.
I don't envy him his Harvard Lawyer wife and while his kids are beautiful you have no control over making pretty or ugly babies.