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Obama On Tonight's Berlin Speech: "A Crapshoot"
July 24, 2008 6:22 AM
How does one prepare to speak to a million screaming Germans?
I asked Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, this question as he boarded O Force One and came back to the reporters' veal pen before the plane took off from Tel Aviv, Israel to Berlin, Germany.
This evening Obama will give a speech at the Victory Column at Tiergaten Park.
"I doubt we're gonna have a million screaming Germans," Obama said.
Half a million? asked another reporter.
"Let's tamp down expectations here," Obama said. "If we get a few tens of thousands..."
Obama said he "did not realize - my staff basically just told me that this space is bigger than I realized. So."
Asked a reporter: Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
"Uh, it's a potentially bad thing if nobody shows up," Obama said, laughing. "You know, we're sort of on the high wire all of the sudden. It's like, 'I'm sorry, how many people does this accommodate? How many?'...We really have no idea what's going to happen. Sort of a crapshoot. I'm happy with the speech though."
A reporter noted that the campaign has been distributing fliers to Berliners to drum up attendance.
"Why don't you guys go out and distribute some fliers?" Obama asked. "Is that a conflict for you guys?"
Joked a cable news correspondent: "We have been. It's called television."
Obama said tonight's address will not be "a wonkish policy speech...We started working on it about two weeks ago, about two weeks ago." The speech "was in pretty good shape a couple days ago and now we're just kind of tooling around with it."
Obama's aides have been insisting this won't be a political rally and is not a political speech, though his campaiggn is paying for the trip (excluding the Iraq and Afghanistan legs) and events are clearly being staged with the intention of making voters back in the US comfortable with the notion of Obama as a commander-in-chief, an area where he needs shoring up.
And yet Obama and his team are also sensitive to being seen as presumptuous, of acting like a president before the people have their say this November.
Did he look to the Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy speeches about Berlin for guidance when writing his own? he was asked.
"You know, they were presidents," Obama said, " I am a citizen. But obviously Berlin is representative of the extraodinary success of the post World War II effort to bring the continent together and the West together and then later to bring the East and the West together so, so I think it's a natural place to talk about it."
Does he see the speech as a way to describe how he could improve that relationship as president?
"No," Obama said. "I'm just giving a speech."
In English, he noted.
"My German is not real good," he said. "I can speak Bahasi Indonesian but I don't think...there would be a lot of appeal to that."
Would you describe this as a campaign speech tonight? another reporter asked.
"As opposed to?" Obama replied.
You're in a campaign and you're giving a speech, replied the reporter. Would it be okay to describe it as a campaign speech?
"The people in the crowd aren't voters," Obama said, "so in that sense its not designed to get them to the polls. You know, its not a political rally. Hopefully it will be viewed as a substantive articulation of the relationship I'd like to see beteen the US and Europe."
Audiences back in the US will be watching as well, though, right? he was asked.
"I'm hoping to communicate across the Atlantic about the relationship and how we can build on it," he said.
He added that "there's no doubt that part of what I want to communicate on both sides of the Atlantic is the enormous potential of us for restoring a strong sense of coming together."
Obama said he was not surprised by the international reaction to his world tour.
"What I think I anticipated was that the world is keely interested in this election," he said. "And I think they are hungry for a sense of where America is going so certainly there is a curiosity there as well."
Obama noted that in a break from his whirlwind schedule, "we've got some down time tonight. What are you guys gonna do in Berlin? Huh? Huh? You guys got any big. plans? ...I've never been to Berlin, so...I would love to tour around a little bit."
- jpt
July 24, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (431)
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Obama has missed his calling. He should go to HOllywood because he is a bigger actor than Ronald Reagan. He is a big theatrical bag of nonsense and full of fluff. I am voting for McCain in November!
Posted by: Mary Anne | Jul 27, 2008 10:58:26 AM
I find it interesting the total disdain the Obama supporters hold the backbone of America which is the blue collar types. Indeed, we have the post here from someone who holds a Master's degree from Indiana calling those not as educated idiots and racists basically. In my experience, and I have two PhDs by the way, it is those who believe they are "intelligent" that are the most easily persuaded and the most easily swayed by those that tell them what they want to hear. These people so-called intelligent people are so arrogant and believe they are so correct on every issue that if someone comes along and regurgitates these "intelligent" positions like Obama has they are fawn all over him. Critical thought has been lost in the zealotry of those who follow Obama. Obama is telling these people what they want to hear and they are stumbling all over themselves to worship Obama without once stopping and asking critical questions of Obama.
I find it a fascinating study of how the self proclaimed intelligentsia of the US and even Europe so easily fall lockstep. A true intelligent person would ask very critical questions even of a candidate they support. However, this has not occurred with Obama. In fact, the opposite has occurred. Those that have dared to question Obama are summarily attacked by his supporters. Check history people. It is repleat with disaster and misery because people latched onto those that were charismatic without asking the hard questions about who they are. Recall 1930s Germany for instance. I am not saying Obama will be remotely that bad but it is an example of how even the intelligentsia can make HUGE mistakes when they don't ask difficult questions.
Posted by: James | Jul 26, 2008 4:39:52 PM
The spectacle of the obuma rally is that a community leader/activist is a frontrunner for Our President's seat.
It is an embarrassment to our country.
Who does this obuma really think he is......
to keep all his promises during the campaign---he will be raising taxes, and lowering our National security and promising Billions of aid to Africa and every other 3rd world counties....
it's like voting in a boyscout leader as a General to our Armed Forces.
Posted by: carpenter.nyc | Jul 24, 2008 2:42:28 PM
---------------------------------
Love your post...I find Obuma to be sly like a fox and as stupid as a rock!
Posted by: HP Boston | Jul 25, 2008 3:14:57 PM
"This junior senator's speech will be remembered!!"
Please. There was nothing memorable about that pathetic speech at all. Having heard it, I'd bet that you couldn't remember a single line without going back and looking it up first.
And whoever coined "Ich bin ein Beginner" is brilliant. Pure genius.
Posted by: Midas | Jul 25, 2008 1:08:24 PM
m e brooks:
I agree with you. However, I also believe that this plan has been in the works for a long time. Americans are kept fat, dumb and happy by our Government beginning with our schools. Our Constitution guarantees a Republican form of government; yet our schools for a long time have been spreading the lie that we are a Democracy and majority rules. I was taught this and believed it until recently, when I read our Constitution. Even our President is spreading Democracy around the world. We need a President who will restore our Republic and our sovereignty.
Posted by: Theresa Jones | Jul 25, 2008 12:59:54 PM
I agree with Tony.
Posted by: Theresa Jones | Jul 25, 2008 12:30:38 PM
"My German is not real good," he said. "I can speak Bahasi Indonesian but I don't think...there would be a lot of appeal to that."
In his speech to LaRaza, he said he was embarassed that he did not learn any languages when he was growing up.
Which is it?
Posted by: Theresa Jones | Jul 25, 2008 12:25:11 PM
Well clearly McCain sucks. But just as clearly, Obama sucks so much MORE!
McCains' sin is that too often he acts like a democrat. Obama's sin is that he acts like an American, but he's DEFINITELY a globalist who desires the destruction of America.
Posted by: Tony | Jul 25, 2008 11:03:25 AM
Ich bin ein Beginner - NOBAMA NO WAY
Posted by: Johnny | Jul 25, 2008 10:40:35 AM
I make the following comments as someone who is well-educated, left wing (in fact, LEFT of left) & definitely, by any standard, not on the lower end of the income bracket. In fact, I am repulsed by Barack Obama. I will, however, give him credit for his masterful "persuasion" techniques & how well he has played the role of "confidence man." Daily, there are incidents clearly indicating that B.O. has misrepresented himself to the public. Yet - if we are to believe all that we hear - people continue to fawn over B.O., forgive him for his daily position changes & 180-degree flip-flops, & believe what he says even though his remedial history suggests otherwise. I am perplexed as to how anyone could believe in & vote for someone who lacked substantive history & voted "present" 121 times. That, in itself, should "persuade" the "believers" that Obamacon is NOT the person he claims to be.
Posted by: Susan; Central California | Jul 25, 2008 1:34:40 AM
I am a white 76 year old with a master's degree in history from Indiana University. Barack appeals to the higher educated & intellectual voters.The reason for his poll ratings is that he does not appeal to the poor who loathe the idea of an African American running their country. Instead, they will vote for a fraud who tries to impress upon us that he's a war hero because he refused early release from prison - if he had accepted it, he'd have been court martialed & his family would be disgraced even more due to his arrogance & astounding ignorance while at the naval academy. He NEVER would have been admitted if his daddy hadn't been an admiral.
Posted by: cjay | Jul 24, 2008 11:37:57 PM
Here we are Thursday evening. Barack Obama drew a massive estimated 200,000+ audience in Berlin!! The pictures were breathtaking.
Obama's speech lived up to all expectations!! Yes, there will always be some debate on issue topics. This is natural. Obama did it!!!
This junior senator's speech will be remembered!!
Posted by: Sharonklim | Jul 24, 2008 10:45:20 PM
He is so full of himself it is making nauseas.
Posted by: ILL | Jul 24, 2008 10:09:39 PM
hahahhahaha!!!!! Of course the world wants Obama. They know he would destroy America in his first day as president. That is what they want, they want America to be destroyed and they see Obama as the best puppet to accomplish this.
Posted by: The Who | Jul 24, 2008 9:57:04 PM
wow a crowd of 200,000
mccain hasn't got that much people together in every event in both 2000 and 2008 campaigns and maybe even senate rallies combined. And this was in a foreign country to boot.
Just give up mccain save your wife's money
Posted by: Omentum | Jul 24, 2008 7:26:51 PM
"Um, can you tell me what McLame will do with these same questions? You all ask how will Obama do it but NEVER say what McCain will do better and how."
_______________________
To begin with, McCain probably tell the truth..... and it might not be so euphoreous or glamorous ...... but it would definitely be more down to earth...and honest.
I LIKE that in my candidate and the knowledge that he has been re-elected many times.... is indicative of the trust others have placed. place in him now.
I have seen the non-effects of Obama the newbie on my home town..... and I am
suffering from the effects of another newbie... Todd Stroger.. on my home town which NOW BEAR THED QUESTIONABLE HONOR OF HAVING THE HIGHEST SALES TAX IN THE NATION!
Posted by: prophet | Jul 24, 2008 6:07:27 PM
Iamforthiscountry wrote:
Also - the "worship" level of Obama support has gotten a little frightening. Now he's going to lower the gas prices (how, exactly?), get all the unemployed people their jobs back (how, exactly?), and zing the economy back into full swing (how, exactly?). And, in the absence of telling us how exactly he'll do this, we're just supposed to melt trustingly into his baritone voice and the very idea of Barack Obama.
Um, can you tell me what McLame will do with these same questions? You all ask how will Obama do it but NEVER say what McCain will do better and how.
Posted by: Dippa | Jul 24, 2008 5:42:16 PM
According to today's gallup presidential poll, Obama's lead over McCain has SHRANK to 45-43. If Obama is this great leader, then why isn't he like double digits ahead in the polls?
Also, the last time I checked, the Germans and other Europeans do not have avote for our president. Since when did the US decide to elect a president because he was popular in Europe anyhow?
Posted by: James | Jul 24, 2008 5:35:20 PM
A BUNCH OF WINERS, THATS WHAT MOST OF YOU COME ACROSS AS..... MCCAIN HAS NO CHANCE TO WIN THE PRESIDENCY BECAUSE BUSH AND THE REPUBLICANS HAVE SCREWED IT UP SO MUCH....IT'S TIME TO TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY, TAKE BACK OUR CIVIL RIGHTS..
Posted by: AN AMERICAN | Jul 24, 2008 5:24:26 PM
There is only one honorable mission this year. Use your vote to defeat Barack Obama. Bring back the power of your vote. Real power of the people. Our country first. Our country before any political party.
Posted by: Mandelay3 | Jul 24, 2008 5:19:33 PM
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