Jul 24 2008
Obama speaks in Germany
Here is why Johnny McCain is suffering from a case of the sour grapes today (see previous post)…
Obama Speaks to Germany on European Ties
BERLIN — Senator Barack Obama stood before a sea of people here Thursday evening and issued a call for cooperation, imploring America and Europe to bridge differences and rekindle old alliances in an effort to restore global stability and better confront existing and unforeseen threats.
“If we’re honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart and forgotten our shared destiny,” Mr. Obama said. “In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe’s role in our security and our future.”
Pausing for a moment, the Illinois Democrat added: “Both views miss the truth.”
Mr. Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who is on a weeklong international tour, delivered his address at the base of the Victory Column in the Tiergarten, a sprawling park in the center of the city.
He looked out toward the Brandenburg Gate, where President Ronald Reagan implored the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down that wall” and end the Cold War, and spoke to crowd that the German News Agency DPA estimated at 200,000 people.
“I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before,” Mr. Obama said, confronting the delicate issue of campaigning abroad. “Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen — a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.”
The full text of his remarks, as prepared for delivery, may be read here. I will add video when it becomes available.
Video:
P.S. The absolutely blind hatred emanating from the rabid right is amazing (if not more than a little sickening).
3 Responses to “Obama speaks in Germany”
interesting post, i do beleive that senator obama will be able to bring back the ties with the rest of the world.
I don’t believe Malkin believes much of her own rhetoric, but rather like those on the extreme left like the Daily Kos, it is more of a bit and a vehicle to make money because they will get more attention if they have an extreme view.
With that said, the speech didn’t move me in either direction. It was more staged than focusing on specific policies, but the audience he was speaking to don’t really care about domestic policies of the USA. Let him speak – there are other issues to disagree with him on that carry more substance.
@Anthony Fuller : It isn’t so much Malkin. I know she’s in it for the money. The louder she screams and the more vitriolic she becomes, the more money she makes. It’s all those people who worship at her feet… the ones who comment (oh, you’re so right, Michelle) and the ones who trackback her on their own blogs.
Yes, the policies of the U.S. do have a direct effect on the people of Europe. They realize that and that is why 200,000 Germans showed up to hear the next president of the U.S. speak there yesterday. The Bush administration has just about destroyed every relationship we had over there. Those people are looking to the Obama administration to rebuild them. (They are well aware that a McCain administration won’t.)
Thanks for dropping by!