Barack Obama can just smell the oval office, so much so that's he's letting his eagerness to lead us down whatever unknown path of his capricious choosing overstep his sense of propriety, such as it is.
This summer, the Democrat nominee for POTUS will make a trip overseas, with destinations alleged to include the UK, France, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Afghanistan and Iraq. In Berlin, the senator plans on making a speech, of course. No big deal, right? Wrong. The location at which Obama desires to make this speech--the Brandenburg Gate, which used to mark the divide between East and West Berlin--has indeed been the site of speeches made by other American politicians, but all three of those others were elected presidents.
President Kennedy gave his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech there and President Reagan gave his "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall" speech there. (President Clinton was the third.)
The point is that Obama seems to want to appropriate some of the trappings of POTUS before he even gets there. Another example of this? That goofy personal seal, since abandoned--to the great disappointment of many conservative bloggers.
In addition, the plan to hold the speech at the historic and iconic location has stirred up controversy between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other German politicians. Nice going, Senator; as if it's not enough to sow discord here.
The guy is the bull in every china shop. Pun intended.
Would it be too difficult for the man to think through just one decision?
(Thanks to Protein Wisdom)
PERSONAL MEMORY OF THE BRANDENBURG GATE: A three-day concert in 1987 during which artists performed in front of the Reichstag, which is a short distance from the Brandenburg Gate. The artists: Eurhythmics, Genesis, Bruce Hornsby and the Range and David Bowie, a former Berlin resident. Thousand of East Germans tried to gather on the other side of the Gate--and the Wall--to rock out, to the consternation of the Soviets. I think Bowie caused the Wall to fall all on his own.
Bowie (paraphrase from memory): "Ich möchte meine Freunde grüßen die an der anderen Seite der Mauer sind."
(I'd like to greet my friends who are on the other side of the Wall.)
Juliette,
My wife and I were at that concert, it seems a hundred years ago sometimes. In fact, my son, who was two years old at the time, is home for the weekend, grilling out back with his buddies. Damn, I feel old :-)
I've written a bit about Obama and the Tor myself. The arrogance is astounding.
Posted by: Joe Tobacco | July 12, 2008 at 07:53 PM
D!
Posted by: baldilocks | July 12, 2008 at 10:16 PM
Email is on its way, J.
Posted by: Joe Tobacco | July 13, 2008 at 12:04 AM