Slog - Comments on Obama's Berlin Speech

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:18:44 -0800

I was listening to the warm-up music and when I hear Bowie played in Berlin it still makes me feel all warm and fuzzy...

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:22:45 -0800

Steppin' out!!!

Comment by Barack Me Obamadeus

Barack Me Obamadeus — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:22:46 -0800

Ist er ein Berliner?

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:26:48 -0800

"This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom..."

It also knows how to run a hell of a good gay bar.

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:31:09 -0800

So far it's boring. A recitation of history well-known by the audience (and any Americans who may have bothered to read their history books).

He may be standing in the middle of a German street, but he's speaking to American listeners, not Germany today.

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:36:20 -0800

"Partnership and cooperation" seems to be the message...a not at all subtle slap at unilateralism.

"Tear down these New walls" -- your headline boys and girls.

Comment by DavidG

DavidG — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:43:36 -0800

More to the point: Isst er ein Berliner?

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:47:14 -0800

@7, Or more alarmingly, esst er ein Berliner?

Comment by raindrop

raindrop — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:47:46 -0800

Yes. Yawn. I'll be switching to the 'Young and the Restless' at 11.

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:49:07 -0800

@7, oops, you're right. my conjugation war verruckt.

Comment by DavidG

DavidG — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:52:29 -0800

The lighting in the video - late afternoon in Berlin, I suppose - is just golden. Should make for some good photo-ops.

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:53:52 -0800

In the scheme of things, I think people will say this speech was underwhelming. It was composed of safe, road-tested messages, none of which will go down in history.

The speech was designed for American ears (despite warhorses like anti-nuke...Germans love their anti-nuke!), and calibrated so as not to appear that Obama was apologizing for or explaining his country.

The single most positive outcome that may arise from this is to show that Obama has a grasp of history and a bias for a non-threatening blend of greater multilaterialism and patriotism.

The negative will be the media claiming he missed a chance to make oratorical history.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:58:35 -0800

I think oratorical history ended in 1968. And Obama SHOULD be talking to an American audience; we're the ones who vote for him. Nobody in Germany matters.

Comment by clintonsarmy

clintonsarmy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:58:50 -0800

We won't support ball-less NO-Bama and will re-defeat him in November!!!

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:59:20 -0800

Ich esse ein Berliner.

Ja, Obama!

Ja wie kannst!

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:01:15 -0800

@13, not sure what you mean about 1968 but you do like your grand and cryptic pronouncements.

As for your second point, I agree entirely. It would have been a mistake of the gravest order to appear to be doing too much otherwise.

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:03:22 -0800

@15, honey, I'm the last to wag a finger at someone';s bad German, so let me gently say that your third line basically says, "Yes, how can you?"

You mean "Ja, wir konnen" (with an umlaut over the o, all heavy metal-like and shit)

Carry on.

Comment by oldwhitechick

oldwhitechick — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:03:55 -0800

@14: bwaaaaaah?

Comment by clintonssarmy

clintonssarmy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:04:28 -0800

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Comment by Amelia

Amelia — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:10:26 -0800

Thanks Eli--and Djubilation, deine Sprachf�higkeiten sind hervorragend, heisse weisse scheisse.

Can someone post a link to a full video of the speech?

Comment by Andy Niable

Andy Niable — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:14:29 -0800

But can we march for him in Gay Pride Parades, Eli?

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:15:52 -0800

@20, vielen Dank, sehr gern.

Comment by max solomon

max solomon — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:17:14 -0800

thank god he had the sense to speak in berlin & not paris. if the french like you, americans think you're a socialist.

despite the fact that the modern french are generally more bigoted & consrvative than modern germans.

Comment by Amelia

Amelia — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:33:42 -0800

@23, yeah, I was a double major in French and German, and the French are a problem relatively speaking. A little corrupt, a little vain... but beautiful windows. You can tell your train has left Germany and entered France because the windows get prettier. (Probably let in more rain though.)

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:46:50 -0800

@17 - I know, it was intentional.

Four years of German has only been half as useful as four years of Latin.

Je mange un Berliner.
Oui, Obama!
Oui, nous, mais toi?

Comment by NapoleonXIV

NapoleonXIV — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:18:48 -0800

Tomorrow belongs to him.

Comment by pox

pox — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:36:08 -0800

He didn't need to tell the Germans the history, he needed to tell them that HE knows the history.

I thought it was very well-crafted.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:10:05 -0800

@16, there's a couple of fellows, one in particular, who were noted for their stirring oratory, who quieted up in 1968. There hasn't been much since then; the Rs have Reagan, whose abilities were constantly celebrated but didn't move me at all, and now we have Mr. O. I think he's the best in forty years, but that's not saying much.

Comment by Odrama

Odrama — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:30:18 -0800

Odrama: "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...".