So, I watched and read the speech. Barack Obama surely passed John Kerry’s Global Test. My instinct is that he won over Berlin at the expense of Bloomington. I will highlight a few lowlights from the speech, as far as I’m concerned.
In the initial moments of the speech, Obama injected race in an attempt to show himself as being something special, unique.
I know that I don’t look like the Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city.
Really Barack? For eight years, the face of United States foreign policy has been that of an African American, just like you.
Condi with current Geman leader Merkel
Colin Powell with former German leader Schroeder
If he’s referring to President’s who have spoken in Berlin (Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton), well, once again Barack, can we have the election first please?
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.
Paul Mirengoff from Powerline explains the problem with this passage,
Here, Obama reduces our triumph in Berlin to a humanitarian mission. But it was our willingness to station large quantities of troops in German for decades and our willingness to develop nuclear weapons and aim them at the Soviet Union, along with the Soviet Union’s belief that we would use these weapons if push came to shove, that was decisive. Obama, very much a “soft power” man, ignores the role of “hard power.”
Here is where Barack takes his “citizen of the world” act a step too far,
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.
According to FactCheck.org,
1 percent (27 people) were foreign nationals from eight different countries.
The terrorists on 9-11 specifically targeted and killed Americans. This attack was very much against us, not Belguim, Brussels or Belarus. Were the people killed from all over the world? Of course, because they were AMERICANS. That’s who we are. They targeted and killed Americans Barack. 9-11 was a singularly American event, and trying to make it something else is offensive.
Those who love Barack will love the speech. Those who dislike this guy, well, they will find plenty to criticize.
My bottom line: What plays in Berlin doesn’t play well in Bloomington. Barack has the instincts of an elite, and they love it. I just dont think this kind of speech will resonate in middle America. We’ll see in the coming days.