Senator Obama delivered a soaring speech today in Berlin before an estimated crowd of over 100,000 200,000 in which he called for a renewed trans-Atlantic -- indeed, trans-global -- alliance to fight the common threats we all face. Appealing the ideals America was founded on and has tried to promote since it's inception, Senator Obama stated that whether it's terrorism and global warming, or genocide and disease, there is no problem we cannot overcome nor enemy we cannot defeat when we are united in common purpose. Watch a few of his remarks below.
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"People of Berlin - and people of the world - the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again."
Watch the entire speech here.
UPDATE: German papers put the crowd at over 200,000
UPDATE II: Wow. It looks like US Foreign Service personnel were banned from the speech. And not by Senator Obama.
Full transcript below the fold:
OBAMA SPEECH TRANSCRIPT:
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama (as prepared for delivery)
"A World that Stands as One"
July 24th, 2008
Berlin, Germany
Thank you to the citizens of Berlin and to the people of Germany. Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thank you for this welcome.
I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. 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.
I know that I don't look like the Americans who've previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya. His father - my grandfather - was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.
At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning - his dream - required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West. And so he wrote letter after letter to universities all across America until somebody, somewhere answered his prayer for a better life.
That is why I'm here. And you are here because you too know that yearning. This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom. And you know that the only reason we stand here tonight is because men and women from both of our nations came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life.
Ours is a partnership that truly began sixty years ago this summer, on the day when the first American plane touched down at Templehof.
On that day, much of this continent still lay in ruin. The rubble of this city had yet to be built into a wall. The Soviet shadow had swept across Eastern Europe, while in the West, America, Britain, and France took stock of their losses, and pondered how the world might be remade.
This is where the two sides met. And on the twenty-fourth of June, 1948, the Communists chose to blockade the western part of the city. They cut off food and supplies to more than two million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin.
The size of our forces was no match for the much larger Soviet Army. And yet retreat would have allowed Communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun. All that stood in the way was Berlin.
And that's when the airlift began - when the largest and most unlikely rescue in history brought food and hope to the people of this city.
The odds were stacked against success. In the winter, a heavy fog filled the sky above, and many planes were forced to turn back without dropping off the needed supplies. The streets where we stand were filled with hungry families who had no comfort from the cold.
But in the darkest hours, the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city's mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. "There is only one possibility," he said. "For us to stand together united until this battle is won...The people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty. People of the world: now do your duty...People of the world, look at Berlin!"
People of the world - look at Berlin!
Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.
Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.
Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.
People of the world - look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.
Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall - a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope - walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history.
The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers - dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean.
The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil.
As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.
Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.
In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And 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.
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. Both views miss the truth - that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.
Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.
That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.
The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.
We know they have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a Union of promise and prosperity. Here, at the base of a column built to mark victory in war, we meet in the center of a Europe at peace. Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they have come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together; in the Balkans, where our Atlantic alliance ended wars and brought savage war criminals to justice; and in South Africa, where the struggle of a courageous people defeated apartheid.
So history reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other.
That is why America cannot turn inward. That is why Europe cannot turn inward. America has no better partner than Europe. Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that bound us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations - and all nations - must summon that spirit anew.
This is the moment when we must defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it. This threat is real and we cannot shrink from our responsibility to combat it. If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York. If we could win a battle of ideas against the communists, we can stand with the vast majority of Muslims who reject the extremism that leads to hate instead of hope.
This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan, and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets. No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO's first mission beyond Europe's borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now.
This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.
This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad. In this century - in this city of all cities - we must reject the Cold War mind-set of the past, and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent.
This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. Together, we must forge trade that truly rewards the work that creates wealth, with meaningful protections for our people and our planet. This is the moment for trade that is free and fair for all.
This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions. We must support the Lebanese who have marched and bled for democracy, and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace. And despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close.
This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands. Let us resolve that all nations - including my own - will act with the same seriousness of purpose as has your nation, and reduce the carbon we send into our atmosphere. This is the moment to give our children back their future. This is the moment to stand as one.
And this is the moment when we must give hope to those left behind in a globalized world. We must remember that the Cold War born in this city was not a battle for land or treasure. Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust - not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here.
Now the world will watch and remember what we do here - what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time?
Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words "never again" in Darfur?
Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don't look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?
People of Berlin - people of the world - this is our moment. This is our time.
I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we've struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We've made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.
But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived - at great cost and great sacrifice - to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom - indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us - what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America's shores - is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.
These are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of these aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of these aspirations that all free people - everywhere - became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit of these aspirations that a new generation - our generation - must make our mark on the world.
People of Berlin - and people of the world - the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again.
You go dude!
McCain is so McFucked. I love it!
Damn! The man knows how to inspire!
Inescapably the next president of the US. Now it´s going to be interesting to see what he will make of it - Break from the norm as he has promised or fall in line. This is truly exciting.
Hey, let's not forget about McCain! ‘We Know What He Did This Dumber’
Yawn
Wow. This guy is SO presidential.
yeah, that's what a President is supposed to sound like...
Everything is going exactly according to plan. This is why Obama will win the electoral college.
Johnny2BadObamaCavedOnFISA @ 5:
Were you sleeping, Dear?!
Watch the speach and all I can say is the guys got my vote.
“People of Berlin - and people of the world - the scale of our challenge is great.
(We will bomb more nations that do not tow to our demands)
The road ahead will be long.
(100 year war on terror)
But I come before you to say that we are heirs (Ruling Elite) to a struggle for freedom.
We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future,
(A new world coming into veiw, A NEW WORLD ORDER)
with resolve (greed) in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny
(Full Spectrum Dominance)
, and remake the world once again.”
(so that there are nothing but useless eaters to be our slaves)
i heard 215
I trust Obama had the brains to not give Chancellor Merkel a shoulder-rub... ;-)
This is the moment we have all been waiting for. President Obama, our hope for the future. Fantastic !
holy shit Obama can give a speech!!!!!
(now only if his actions followed suit...)
So, what bands played at this free concert?
Pillow Pants @ 2:
But he's not. I just saw an article stating that McC*nt has tightened the race in four states. I know it's hard to believe this upcoming election won't be a total route, but don't forget, there are many states that will never vote for a Dem.
McC*nt has a solid block in the South and in parts of the West. They are solid red no matter how many gaffes, goofs, flip-flops and lies McC*nt is guilty of.
This will be an extremely right contest. Again, hard to believe, but it's true.
the video won't play for me ...
neither windows media nor the other one
and at this moment the dulcet tones of obama would have improved my day
two days ago one of my elderly cocker spaniels cost me $300 at the vet and today my other elderly cocker spaniel cost me $100
that was the money to pay my bills this month
and now the video won't play
i'm hoping before day's end mccain is going to do something completely stoopid to raise my spirits, and that THAT video will work
[Hope your dogs are ok. I emailed the video fixers-Sitemonitor]
Way to go Barack! Too bad this entire country can't see what all of Europe sees in him. The smear jobs from the right are enver ending, I found this smear on a "kids gaming site today http://www.fyrebug.com/2008/07/23/obama-vs-america/
I would really love for McCain to go over there and see what kind of response he'd get....it matters.
And what the world is saying (in not so many words) in return is this:
Give us Obama as your president, and we'll make nice nice. Put McCain in office, and we're pulling the plug on you morons.
Obama knows this, hence the internationalism and the tacit understanding of a multipolar future in his speech.
McCain doesn't get it, and the 29%ers don't either. I left the USA a while ago, and while still a citizen, I get to see the USA from a different framework and environment. And I'm telling you folks: it's Obama or it's game over. Vote Obama, or expect to freeze in the dark. Rufus Wainwright summed it up nicely last year: "I'm so tired of you America". NO ONE wants to see the USA collapse, but if it's between pulling the plug on the USA and pulling the plug on the rest of the world, the rest of the world will cheerfully pull the plug on the USA. In a heartbeat. Sept 12th, 2001? Maybe No. Today? Yup. They're done with you all. Aghanistan is a fiasco, and IRaq is a complete disaster. The ecology is on the verge of a serious collapse, and Americans are still driving gas guzzling death monsters.
So wise up and get a clue...before it's too late.
This was a good speech on a number of levels and I was amazed at how Mr. Obama could easily balance issues. He needed to:
1. Appear Presidential before a foreign audience - This was a complete success
2. Start repairing some of the torched bridges set afire by the current resident of the White House - He started doing this, but need to do more
3. Announce a new direction his Administration (if elected) will follow - Clearly stated because he said all the right words about ending the War and moving forward on Global Warming.
4. Ask for help in combating terrorism and asking Europe to stand with the U.S. as a united front - Not really succeeded on this one because he was rather vague about what kinds of things Europe needed to do (other than wider NATO involvement).
Of course, Mr. Obama is not yet President so he can only talk in general terms, but what I heard was very good. He is playing the political game at such a different level than McCain it is not even a contest. The polls are all over the map, but as it gets closer to the election I suspect you will see a large shift to Mr. Obama's side.
His people know how to use the Media with great finesse. (Meanwhile, McCain was having lunch at a Sausage House )
Reading the speech just doesn't have the impact of hearing him deliver it and the crowds response. Anyone who missed it, check c-span's site. They carried it live on C-span3 so I'm sure they will be rerunning it on tv some time soon and they may have the video at their site where you can watch it.
But McCain stood outside a German restaurant somewhere here in the US. He picked at something in his mouth, wiped his nose repeatedly and mumbled something about being bummed that he couldn't give his speech today on a offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. It was estimated there were ten people in attendance. Okay the attendance part was just my guess, there could have been less.
Samson- @ 15:
Having suffered through eight miserable years with the current fuckhead-in-chief, I'll take someone who doesn't trash the English language.
President PNACcio @ 6:
Oh yeah. Obama should pick this guy as his running mate. Germans love the Hoff.
I've heard from nay-sayers who say, "but he's running for President of the United States, not president of the world." I say if McCain steals home come Novermber, we get some 200,000 Germans to help us create a new office and elect Obama President of the World.
I am so psyched about having someone this elegant speak for us.
You gotta love the morons Right Wingers who say "it's only words". I would use the constitution as an example but we know what they think of that. Also, they regurgitate the talking points without looking at any facts. Hell, I even look at the facts surrounding McCain before making a decision.
And this is a no lose. Obama is elected and the U.S. begins the long climb from oblivion. McCain is elected and the collapse of the U.S. is complete and we get to start over. Either way, the NeoCon Amusement Park (i.e. The United States) is over.
Johnny2BadObamaCaved @ 25:
AAaughhh, my eyes! They burn!
getalife "whiners" @ 16:
probably not Silver Jews.....good indie rock band they go on the road
late this summer
cubiclegrrl @ 13:
I rather think she might have even welcomed that one.
Yes he can deliver a speech but it's the devil in his details that worries me. His true test will come when Israel starts bombing Iran.
"Citizens Of The World"
All my life I've waited for a politician to say that.
What time is the troll tour bus expected to arrive today? I have a feeling the wheels on that little bus are going round and round and headed this way. Nothing like a great speech by Sen. Obama to get them in a travelin' mood.
Joe Marasmus @ 8:
Really? Better check out the latest Quinnipiac numbers:
Colorado
McCain (R) 46% (+2)
Obama (D) 44% (-5)
Michigan
Obama (D) 46% (-2)
McCain (R) 42% (+0)
Minnesota
Obama (D) 46% (-8)
McCain (R) 44% (+7)
Wisconsin
Obama (D) 50% (-1)
McCain (R) 39% (+0)
The Hasselhof candidate should be twenty points ahead...He ain't.
"Sen. Barack Obama's post-primary bubble hasn't burst, but it is leaking a bit." -Quinnipiac.
You've got two choices.
Actually you've got 5. But those three aren't trying very hard to get the job.
So it comes down to two. Obama or McCain.
The choice you make will have lasting repercussions.
Obama wasn't the one I picked for the job, But he is the Dem nominee(theoretically).
I'll take my chances with Obama.
He needs to pick HRC for Veep.
I wonder what McPastyface will whine about today?
Samson- @ 240:
Compared to after chimpy taking office? That would be a yes.
How I long for the day when Amerikuh's biggest worry was self-loathing closet repukes getting in a tizzy about a blow job.
mudshark @ 360:
Sorry, but Hillary on the ticket would flip 5-10% of the electorate to McSame immediately. The best thing the democrats did this time, was to destroy the Bush/Clinton death-dance this country has been locked in for decades.
Hillary V.P. is a horrible terrible idea!
Blue Buddha @ 165:
Thanks but I'll pass on NRO. It's really started now. They're blaming him for not going to see injured troops over there but it looks like he was blocked by chimpy and crew.
Nada @ 159:
Yes, Ben Stein compared it to a Nazi rally yesterday. What a douchebag!
haha yea, there isn't much to spin off other than that..
but i'm not so sold on how much this really affects us voters..
I like Obama but....
Isn't this a bit too cocky for him to go to Europe and campaign for their support when he should have visited the wounded troups? And... yeah, I know he was urged by a lot of his political opponents to go to the middle east but this and his campaign's use of the presidential seal are bad PR moves for the voting populace here in the US.
It's almost like he's not aware he isn't president yet.
Or maybe being a politician that gets the job done now means....well... being Bono.
- Justin
Ich bin ein Obama!
What mullshit nonsense rhetoric. The guy is an insane Christian terrorist simpathizer, a traitor against America. Where was this insane mother fucker when his fellow Christian terrorists inflicted wiretapping of every American citizen? Where was this Christian pile of traitorshit when his fellow Christians invaded Iraq?
This mother fucking criminal needs to be dragged out in to the street right along side the rest of his fellow Republinazi war criminals and they ALL need to be give fair trials then and there for what they did.
This pile of shit wants the ignorant rubes, marks, and suckers to think he's some how different than every other Christian terrorist who has fucked the world over. Fact is he's just another mass murdering baby killer traitor.
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 363:
Sorry, but Hillary on the ticket would flip 5-10% of the electorate to McSame immediately. The best thing the democrats did this time, was to destroy the Bush/Clinton death-dance this country has been locked in for decades.
Hillary V.P. is a horrible terrible idea!
--------
um...where are you getting that indication? From the Republican Party?
I have never seen a current poll that shows an Obama/Clinton ticket doing anything but much, much better vs McCain (or McCain plus the next biggest vote-getters in the primaries) than an Obama ticket without Clinton.
The latest polls posted on pollingreport.com today show Obama in a statistical tie with McCain after a series of supposedly TERRIFIC weeks for him and TERRIBLE weeks for McCain. In these latest polls, the only poll result showing Obama well beyond the margin of error vs McCain is when he is paired with Hillary Clinton vs McCain/Romney.
Seriously, where are you getting your information that the ONLY canidate of the final three whose favorability ratings INCREASED rather than DECREASED during the course of the primaries (Hillary Clinton) would be a drag on Obama's ticket?
All I can say is I can't wait until McCain wins in November, Orders the Draft and ships all you wacky Nation of Obama wackos out of America! Bring our Troops home NOW! Send in the WACKOS!!!
What is this, Goonies. It's are time down here, our time!
lol
200k at the speach? Kinda does not back up the old 'they hate us' rhetoric, huh?
Germany wanting to kiss some US ass? It is the other way around.
If people do not learn (the real version of) history, they are doomed to repeat it.
As the US is doing now.
pissed off patricia @ 89:
ya.... pleeeeeeezzzze don't drop the ball on this one...
Nicky @ 282:
Well Nick, now that you brought it up, I am a big supporter of Ron Paul's. One of the very few men in congress that I would actually call a Statesman and not a politician. Not sure what your point was by asking where I have been, I do have a real life (I know....you think all of us Paulites live on the computer, where not real people....blah blah blah) to live....you know, work, family etc.....So, what was your objection to my post Nick?
Pericles @ 358:
Whats sad to see is so many people still believe in this Rep vs Dem game thats meant to do nothing more then distract us from those who are pushing things down the path were own as a country. Im for saving our Constitution from those on either side that choose not to abide by it. I watched Vincent Bugliosi on CSPAN today and became a big fan of his. I was pleased to see a few others (Wexler was one) that seemed sincer about upholding the rule of law and the Constitution....Im sick of seeing people in governement selling us out and I don't care if they have a D or an R by their name. I don't see Obama or McCain doing any of us any favors once they get in.
Yeah - I was present. Great speech!
UselessHO @ 9:
He, she, or "it" must have been sleeping; Republi-cant's tend to drowse off while tuned in to the White House's regurgitated drivel, on Fox News...
Really curious ....
This is the first time I have visited this website http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/24/obama-in-europe-people-of-berli... .... and blog.
It appears that 99% of the commenters are deeply in awe and in love and in adulation of bo. Seriously, is there any possiblitly of mass-hypnosis ? All I keep hearing is how much the Europeans love him; how great a speech-deliverer he is. I totally agree with that. Presidential ?? What is your assesement of Presidential ? A puppet who speaks well ? Why not make bo the White House Press Secretary ? ...but an empty suit, having a totally destructive agenda on the USA ? ..the country, the sovereign nation to which he will be required to swear an oath to ?... and he will have to salute to its flag ?... and wear the lapel pin of his so-called country's flag ? He wants to TAKE MORE FROM AMERICANS to GIVE MORE TO THE GLOBE !!! nice childish thought, but if he were the manager of the Yankees, and wanted to trade his top 3 players for the Dodgers bat-boy, I wonder what Steinbrenner and the NewYork fans might conjur up ??
But have not read much from this blog as to bo's background not being taken into account. Virtually nothing mentioning his platform and for what his agenda is, if he secures the presidency of the USA. So to sum it up, the favorable comments regarding bo are essentially emotional and giddy (a bit irrational in my opinion), whereas educated, independent thinking Americans who are about to cast their vote for an American President, it seems to me, should be reading up and dissecting the backgrounds, the associations of all candidates (including 3rd party candidates), and most importantly identifying the agendas of all the candidates.... I will take a stumbling, stuttering, speech-deliverer ANY day of the week, so as long as he has the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA at heart ... NUMBER 1 !!!! When ALL OF AMERICANS (and ONLY American Citizens) are taken care of, then and only then should we be tossing $$$trilliions of our budget outside of our borders !!
The MSM (main stream media) has unquestionably dictated the 2 candidates of the major parties (with a big help from g. soros), to the detriment of the USA citizenry. These 2 candidates are easily the 2 worst candidates to ever come to power !! Neither has a sterling background, but I believe I will walk away with much more of my income at the end of the years to come, with anyone other than bo. And I like to think there will be millions more viable and loving babies taking their first breaths if bo is sent back to the senate which I feel is too much of a gift to him, considering his shady and dark background and acquaintances.
Robert @ 20:
Definitely nothing you'd need Leni Reifenstal (sp?) with a wide-angle lens to cover, I'm guessing. Unless protesters burning Uncle Sam in effigy count.
UselessHO @ 31:
A reporter asked her about that today and she said she wouldn't resist it. I think she's smitten.
Sorry to sound cocky and arrogant (like a Bushie), but it seems that Europe is willing to kiss our ass after several years. And that's a good thing. We need the love.
getalife "whiners" @ 16:
Everyone was boogie-ing to David Bowie's "Let's Dance" before the speech.
GO Obama! While not my first choice in this election because of his centrist nature, I am excited to vote for Obama anyway. Heal the world. Peace.
Dhalgren @ 38:
How "american" of you...
Carefully read these speech and you will see that Obama is a One World globalist. It all sounds nice and good until you realize it's not in our best interest as Americans. The sovereignty of the US is under attack......and Obama seems ready to play along. Look no further then his chief adviser, Richard Haas, president of the CFR. Looks to me like Dick wrote this speech for him. God help us!!
PS....McInsane is playing for the same team in case your wondering if I support him, I absolutely do not!
Miatch @ 27:
Unfortunately, such quality doesn't resonate, I fear, with a sizeable majority of USA electorate, if the last two elections serve as any guide. Perhaps a critical mass of those who've simply had enough of enough will prevail this time around- hope springs eternal!
Scy @ 28:
These idiots on the right would vote for McSame or anyone else rather than voting for an intelligent good man. These zombie freaks would go into a voting booth and pull the lever for a Republicon even if they saw that person the day before rape and dis-member a child on tv. I know several relatives and friends who are so brainwashed, that they cannot use any common sense and think about not voting against their best interests.
Isn't it refreshing to have an American visiting Merkel who doesn't go on and on about his anticipation regarding the eating of a pig. Such a lovely change.
pissed off patricia @ 37:
Really?!! You go P O P Girl!... Link? (Luv it!)
Wes @ 42:
Change comes from the bottom up, not from the top down. We can't be isolationists. We need fair trade, not free trade.
Democratsrule @ 44:
These zombie freaks would go into a voting booth and pull the lever...
You don't have to pull levers anymore, or vote, really. Diebold does all the thinking for you.
Loved the speech, but I'm still anxious about the election...
UselessHO @ 46:
Sorry, I heard it reported on MSNBC today so I have no link. The reporter asked her what she thought of Obama and she replied that she thought he was "well equipped"
The Truth Hurts @ 17:
Weren't these poll taken before this trip or at least at the beginning of this trip? Don't pay attention to polls so much. It was bound to be close. Remember, Obama is a great candidate with a pigmentation problem. In this regard, its amazing he is this close.
Kinda beats listening to an old fart whine about the surge in a grocery store cheese aisle doesnt it?
I don't think that many Germans have turned out to see a Black man since Jesse Owens ran along side Nazi's.
He's a great public speaker.
Doesn't change the fact that he caved on FISA.
Excellent speech. It'll certainly get the righties panties in a twist!
Jay @ 40:
Yeah, Peace.
But first just a little more war.
Litabell @ 54:
You've got that right! Just look in this thread alone! LMAO!
pissed off patricia @ 49:
I don't know, but he has nice buns. That helps get my vote. (Just kidding before you folks attack me with logic arguments) Lighten up.
Great speech, crowds, visuals, yada, yada saiys this jaded commenter. However, my highlight was:
NBC’s ANDREA MITCHELL INTERRUPTING HER ATTEMPT TO POUR COLD WATER ON THE EVENT BY ASKING CHUCK TODD A QUESTION. WHEN CHUCK REFUSED TO PLAY BALL AND BEGAN TO COMPARE THE SCENE TO SOMETHING OUT OF REAGAN’S VISIT, SHE CUT HIM OFF TO DO A LIVE PROMO COMMERCIAL FOR THE NIGHTLY NEWS BECAUSE THE CAMERA HAD OBAMA WALKING BESIDE NBC ANCHOR BRIAN WILLIAMS.
American Broadcast Media: Incompetents feeding stool softener to the incontinent.
Then they resumed the hunt for the missing toddler in Florida.
[Please lay off the ALL CAPS posting. Thank you-Sitemonitor]
sher @ 50:
My brother last night on the phone was trying to convince me to vote for McCain. His reason was that Islam was going to take over the world and only McCain would be able to stop them. The conversation obviously ended in a stalemate.
cubiclegrrl @ 13:
I felt compeled to apologize to a German after Bush did that.
This is all VERY Impressive -- I mean the speech and adulation!
What an amazingly smart campaign tactic. Go to Europe, be loved everywhere, look presidential and experienced, and get all the media attention. Meanwhile, McCain is captured in the cheese section of a supermarket called his opponent a traitor. Gotta love it.
Ron @ 47:
Not being for a New World Order doesn't mean isolationism.....it means putting Americans first. Our founding fathers new all to well what entangling ourselves into others affairs would lead us to....the current mess were in. We spend billions over seas but don't take care of ourselves. Im not talking about "government" programs when I say, taking care of ourselves. I mean, get our government out of my pocket, quit taxing me to death, and I could do a good job of taking care of me and my family. Then if we as a nation want to lend a hand to others, great.....we have it totally backwards.
Nada @ 53:
So what would had happened if he did not cave on FISA?
I wish some of the reporters attending the speech today would have gone out and talked to the people who were there and asked what they thought of Sen. Obama and his speech. It would have been good to hear their thoughts.
Say what you please, when all those people were clapping and cheering today I felt proud that he was representing my country. It felt good!
gail @ 64:
we don't know, he caved
r @ 51:
"Cheese? I like Cheese."
Wallace
pissed off patricia @ 65:
Nice to see American flags being waved in foreign countries... when they're not on fire.
The FREEPtards are beside themselves trying to downplay this.
First it was "waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, there weren't that many"
Then it was "well, if God would just shut off his teleprompter, he'd be screwed" (which I find deliciously ironic considering their blind loyalty to der Chimpenfurher, and his gift for public speaking)
Now they are down to "waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa It was just a boring speech"
200k of folks wanting to see our next President.
When pResident Weak and Stupid shows up, all he gets is angry mobs.
Just think, we may actually elect a President who isn't a stupid, dry drunk, cocaine addled moron hated by most of the planet.
Yes, we Can!
Bud @ 59:
McCain couldn't stop an attack of marshmallows.
Wes @ 63:
If there was fair trade, you could probably accomplish all of that and lower your taxes, though some taxes are necessary.
gail @ 64:
Am I a fortune teller?
He couldn't keep a promise on FISA why in the hell should anyone believe him about anything else?
The only argument I might consider is "He's not mcsame" Granted. But after that maneuver one begins to wonder what the differences really are.
Samson- @ 66:
Thank you.
gail @ 57:
I second that, Darlin'. Did you notice how tight and bubbly he looked the other day when he shot his goal?!
Johnny2BadObamaCaved @ 35:
I'm so glad you're here Johnny. Thanks to you, we never have to watch Fox and all their bullshit.
bobsf @ 62:
And riding around on a golf cart with Bush Sr. Two old farts. They are so yesterday. Its up to the youth to get Obama in. The old folks will vote for McBush. Meanwhile, Bush Jr, gave a speech about killing the terrorists and victory in Iraq. Obama is talking NATO and this war on terror is not just America's problem. HELLO ? Anyone there? This is not just America's problem. Go Obama.
cubiclegrrl @ 13:
Ha! Compare the look on Merkel's face as she smiles at Obama and the look on her face as she grimaced and barely tolersted Bush.
Bush will be vindicated by history, all right. European leaders will one day talk about what it was really like to deal w/"Yo, King", Bush.
Just think about it--my Republican friends--this could have been Bush giving this speech on September 12, 2001, instead, he looked to Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and the neocons for his advise and went for politics over fighting terrorism. How many people would show up in Berlin to listen to Bush? McCain? And you can't count the protesters.
Yes, yes, Barrack...you "goes" get 'em baby. Let's see how much further you get us over the line of "Freedom Of Speech".
I came across these stories and pictures of an embedded US journalist in Iraq and read how he had been canned. His stories were too true....his pictures too graghic. So, the truth should never be as exact as it is....I guess. Because you know...sometime the truth hurts and we don't want to do that. We can kill innocent people but let's not hurt the feelings of people.
Oh....it's the American way. You goes change this Barrack! I'll see it when I believe it.
Check out this story on Zoriah Miller an embedded US journalist and wonder why, it's only now you hear about this BS. CENSORSHIP folks!
http://alterwords.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/freedom-of-speech/
I like how he invoked Regan (the walls of idealism), Kennedy (people of the world) with a dash of King thrown in for good measure.
Whatchya think the odds are of a Keyboard Kommando glomming on this quote and saying:
"Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust - not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here. "
There goes Obama dissing McCain's military heroism.
re: German papers put the crowd at over 200,000
I am sure the U.S. Park Service would have estimated it at 10K
So, can someone explain to me why Obama is losing some of his lead, minor amounts, but losses none--the-less, in Colorado, Michigan and Wisconsin? What about McCain's last weeks activities would lend itself to any explanation of this? Has not Michigan been hammered by Republican policies over the last seven years?
Yep, the European public absolutely detest Curious George or any Neocon bridesmaid out there, including Grandpa McCranky.
Ganz toll.
pissed off patricia @ 70:
I don't get it. Why would anyone think that a pilot who crashed 5 planes, destroyed a US aircraft carrier with his negligence, and got caught by the enemy is the one who could stop ants at a picnic, let alone the non-existent threat of the world-wide spread of extremist Islam.
The only thing McCain ever seemed to do right was marry a woman rich enough to cover up for his inadequacies.
UselessHO @ 74:
I screamed. Look out Michelle. I am glad someone else noticed. Then, I imagined looking at McCain's buns. Oh, my God. Imagine America with buns youth, and good looks again. I am tire of all th issues. This is one issue where Obama wins hands down. (As I said, lighten up sometime)
This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions.
....sigh.
Note the crowd reaction when Obama refers to 9-11 and the "War On Terrrrorrrrr". It's a more muted reaction because most Germans know that the official story of 9-11 is a lie not supported by facts.
It makes me feel good to know that the people of Germany don't hate us or our country. They are just angry with the way our country has been acting for seven years due to the administration. They see hope for us. They know it isn't all our fault regarding what's been going on. It's exciting to see another country of people as happy as many of us are and it's all because of one person. We gotta elect this guy. We just gotta!
Lord StarFyre @ 69:
Now now, Bush Junior was popular in Albania. Of course, that was due to Clintons intervention in Yugoslavia, which Governor Bush opposed (withdrawal plans and all that), but they still cheered, misguided as it was.
But...according to Fox News, Germany HATES Obama.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_L31-sMQ8c
john mccain can't fill a supermarket isle with supporters. too bad alot of americans aren't as smart/well informed as the germans. i'd never thought i would write that.
McCain dogged Obama about not visiting overseas. Now that he has he's made because thousands came out to hear what he says. Notice how few people listen to McCain speak he has to pay people like Bush does. This is the first time in 7 years that an American Official gave a speech where people didn't burn the American flag. Now for those who want McCain as President, you'll be next to lose your job and home as McCain stays the Bush course of failure. For the students who vote for McCain they will be drafted when McCain starts a War with Iran and other countries. We're in a recession and McCain will bring us to a Depression. The Middle East Leaders are hoping Americans are dumb enough to vote another corrupt Republican President in office. One would think Americans had learned after being lied to for 7 years.
Brendan @ 68:
Be careful what you ask for from America's Broadcast News. I can just hear Andrea Mitchell reporting this now:
A.Mitchell: "Brian, German tribal leaders we talked to on the street say they are unaware of problems with the translation of Maliki's remarks in Der Spiegel. However, many told me that 100 years of occupation by Americans is something they never imagined in 1945, but if we keep sending boys like Elvis to their shores, they'll be glad to have us around."
That was a great speech because it was a GLOBAL SPEECH. You can replay that speech in every nation in the world and it would resonate.
The best part is that the crowd was waving a lot of American Flags. When Bush travels abroad, they are burning them!
I can admit that I actually felt great about America today and it's been a very long time. Usually our President goes overseas and can't even speak his native language. Now we have one who can inspire and move the rest of the world. If Obama doesn't win in November, I think that will signal the decline of the United States as a elite superpower with China and India rising past us. That will probably be the shortest reign in world history.
link broken? or just me?
"Waaaaah, waaaaaah, waaaaaah, Obama kicked my dog, waaaaaah, waaaaaah, "
~swampy, johnny, and harley
I heard about this speech on NPR news about 1 hr ago. All they said was that it was outside in a city. As I listened to the news announcer, I could tell there was something they were leaving out. They lady hesitated as if realizing she was not to read a line. I assumed it was the size of the crowd.
Now I know. They don't want people back home here to know.
When's the last time that many people showed up for any political rallys in the US?
Johnny2BadObamaCavedOnFISA @ 5:
Running out of McGrampa talking points, whiner?
Jersey Jay @ 88:
I noticed that too. That's how terrible Bush has been as a President when the rest of the world doesn't sympathize about our national tragedies because we exploit them to inflict harm on other nations.
Whaaa? I'm listening to NPR now and they opened with a statement that authorities estimated 200K people were in attendance. Maybe you're getting the local NPR guys?
This demonstrates the power of "not-bush", not the influence of Obama.
gail @ 86:
I hope you have a good lawyer because I am now going to sue you. You caused a mental image to appear in my head of McCain's naked ass. Now I am impaired for life. You will pay for that, big time. ;)
Joe Marasmus @ 8:
Yup.
Obama 292 McGramps 192 Ties 54
http://www.electoral-vote.com/icon.html
Nice speech. I'm sure it was stirring to hear in person. Obama has always been able to talk a good game... He has the voice to replace James Earl Jones on CNN if nothing else... But to be more serious, I tend to believe we all need to consider Tweakerbell@21's post. I think that post is spot on regarding the rest of the worlds attitude towards us... I have come to believe that's the result of allowing Gdub and his puppetmaster to hold office for eight years.... One big pissed off world and they are pissed off at us... Or more to the point.. They are pissed at our current sick joke of a president and what he has done... Secondarily they are pissed at us as a people for allowing this charade to begin and continue for eight long years.... So, yea, I agree, I guess it's got to be Obama from a world geopolitical point of view... But even viewed strictly as a American domestic political question... No freaking way can we allow republicans to continue their current insanity by giving them another four years to drive that knife they're twisting further into the nations heart...
Here's the thing for me... This fucker better be on the level.. Obama had damned well better be the real deal for everyones sake... Cause the way it's shaping up, its either him or no vote for me come november... And not voting is not a realistic option for me or anyone anymore... Quite a canundrum... I'm not at all comfortable with this circumstance but the big cheeses didn't see fit to put Kuch or Edwards or anyone else I might inherently go for up to run so here I am having to choose. Either Obama the multi-racial dude with his visions and smart talk and deep reassuring voice , or McCain, a doddering old fool, a dinosaur working last centuries tired assed politics and gameplan designed to devide and work the fear angle.. A man who constantly makes lame ass gaffes and displays dangerously clueless gaps in his abilities to understand what the hell is going on on a range of subjects... Gaps that cannot be tolerated in a president...
At the very least, I can reasonably be assured that with Obama in the oval office, he will at least remain attentive and 'awake' during his daily briefings... Such has not always been the case with the current assholes and I am dead certain that McCain as president would probably sleep thru as many as he could manage to stay away for..... To put that circumstance in military parlance... Presidents sleeping thru daily briefing session is totally unsat!!
But then everything about McCain I've seen to date has been so bad that unsat doesn't even come close to how pathetic he is as a candidate.. Or how pathetic he would be as president and bad for the country. If this sounds like faint praise for Obama... It is....
Still, at this point, Obama is the better man and choice to hold the office than McCain...... And regardless of what Obama does to stub his own toes or whatever kinds of dirt the RNC slings at him to make him look bad. He's always going to shine in comparision to McCain, ALWAYS. Whether I vote at all or not is somewhat of an open question.. What isn't open to speculation is whether or not the repubs will 'EVER' get my vote for anything, and the answer to that is HELL NO!! JD
Dr. Hussein Matt @ 96:
LOL! Good one, Dr. :)
But, but, Fox leads with the a huge story that McCain has closed the gap despite all this and is in a dead heat with all the momentum! Fox News or everybody else? Who to believe, who to believe...
Gregg @ 102:
Yeah, because McGrampa, i.e. "not-bush", gets this sort of welcome everywhere he travels.
Oops....shot down there, sport.
Left&Left @ 75:
If you do the full math, Obama is about 10 Electoral Votes shy of 270 when you add up his strong states and lean states. McCain is like 70 or 80 shy.
Also, all of these polls don't mean crap considering that a large chunk of Obama's support will come from first-time voters and independents who are not really registering in these polls. I agree with those who say that this election will be about Obama proving himself. Once he passes that hurdle, then the nation will break strongly for him. Therefore I don't think we will get a meaningful poll until Obama and McCain stand head-to-head in the debates. After the debates, then the polls will REALLY matter. Till then, they're just like whatever.
Gregg @ 102:
You think McCain would get an audience that size and that enthusiastic?
gail @ 86:
Yes, Girlfriend! (continuing in this lighter vein- and as permits dear sitesleuth) I've described McConald's counterparts before as most likely useless old doughbags flatly suspended posteriorally as a pair of soggy failed and fallen pancakes. Where might Cindy prefer to sink her claws, you think?
Move on people, nothing to see here. @ 83:
The polls are taken by the MSM and they take the polls by demographics that they can manipulate. Some of the questions in the polls are designed to get a specific response. Don't pay too much attention to them. Also, many of they younger voters don't have land lines, "cell phones" and aren't polled.
Jack Damage @ 104:
Hear hear!
i always say that if i ever get the chance to shake his hand i'll look him straight in the eye and say firmly "We're counting on you. Don't let us down."
Dr. Hussein Matt @ 107:
Since when is mcsame, mr. third term of dumbya, "not bush" ???
Pretty speech.
But does he believe in a world where man and fish can exist in peaceful coexistence?
Mister Anderson @ 108:
Prez: Obama 292 McCain 192 Ties 54
Senate: Dem 57 GOP 43
House: Dem 239 GOP 196
Move on people, nothing to see here. @ 83:
If you're gonna fix the election, you got to start with polls and public perception to make it believable.
So Obama wants Germany to continue helping the U.S. in this intangible war on a tactic.
Great!
It sounds like he's merely fanning the flames of fear mongering while implying "Let us continue to use your airspace for rendition flights and your intelligence agencies to arrest innocent people."
Folks, the Dems and the Reps are the same.
Eric L @ 106:
But Fux News viewers vote, and they don't watch C-Span...
And for the love of God, stop talking about MCain's ass. I'm feeling queasy...
Move on people, nothing to see here. @ 83:
Not sure why Obama's lead would shrink, but I do know that there are m-a-n-y conservative voters who would NEVER pick a Dem. It wouldn't matter if the GOP candidate had just violated a 10 year old girl a dozen different ways. It wouldn't matter. Nothing would get them to switch. They will ALWAYS vote Republican.
It seems that more voters from center to left are at least willing to consider the other side. Those on the right? Forget it. They will never, ever change.
Nice speech...a 9 hoper. No change though....
FOX, WSJ, WashTimes, NYPost et al headlines will read: "Obama Short Changes Germans with Nien Hope Speech"
;-}
Just more propaganda for the One World Government that is coming soon.
Tweakerbell @ 21:
That the presidential race is even close is a testament to the ignorance, myopia and abject fear of many Americans. A nation that tolerates and sanctions torture is hardly deserving of calling itself "democratic." Such a nation can hardly be considered a beacon of light to the rest of the world. Such a nation is deserving of nothing less than liberation.
pissed off patricia @ 111:
No.
But do you think this many people would give a rats ass about a US election if the current moron in chief hadn't started his murder for oil program in the mideast and destabilized the world economy?
Mister Anderson @ 100:
The world did initially sympathize with us, and even supported our completely illegal invasion of Afghanistan. The problem isn't just the exploitation to advance our militarism - it's about what they learned about the attack that we can't get through our corporate media filter. Every time Obama says "War On Terror", he's really just saying "The Red Menace". Different generation, same red herring.
Exotic Blue Lensman @ 118:
They forgot to do that last time and the annoying math is still following them around. They're getting better and better at it.
Brendan @ 120:
I know what you mean about queasy. I don't think I can ever eat cottage cheese again and I've loved the stuff since I was a little kid.
Robert @ 20:
I think this trip pretty much Nixed any plans he had to go to 'old Europe' or anyplace else for that matter. At this point I think the only option the McCain camp has left is to organize a series of speeches at VFW halls around the country, where McCain can look good wearing his NAVY hat. I'll be watching for that.
Wow, my head started spinning for a moment at the thought of Hitler being replaced by Obama. Is he the future leader of the one world order? Look at the crowd? Even in the U.S. he did not receive such a reception. Obama is scary!
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