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Home Front: Politix
The Audacity of Vanity
2008-07-18
What Obama does not seem to understand is that the Brandenburg Gate is something you earn. President Ronald Reagan earned the right to speak there because his relentless pressure had brought the Soviet empire to its knees and he was demanding its final "tear down this wall" liquidation. When President John F. Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate on the day of his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, he was representing a country that was prepared to go to the brink of nuclear war to defend West Berlin.

Posted by:tu3031

#6  Obama is living a dream of being one with Kenedy.

Ted Kennedy?
Posted by: Raj   2008-07-18 18:49  

#5  In addition to all the obvious comparisons to JFK and Reagan, I think everyone can agree that NObama is doing this in a shameless attempt to shore up his support within the international community. I suspect that he's hoping that if the rest of the world wants him to be President bad enough, it will push the odds in his favor back home. I guess you could call it global peer pressure.

I think he's making a potentially huge mistake. Let's not forget that in the 2004 election, the rest of the world was seething with rage for President Bush and Kerry was clearly the choice abroad. When he lost, all the cry-baby liberals were whining about all the face we lost with the rest of the world by re-electing that dolt, Bush. Well, I think the American people, being a traditionally independent bunch, don't much appreciate it when the international community pressures us, especially when it concerns our domestic politics. So at best, I think NObama is looking at a zero-sum gain with this stunt, electorally speaking (which makes me wonder why he would do it to begin with but then I remember how much he likes to talk in front of people), and at worst, while it may bolster international support for him, it could backfire on him back home.

Hubris has a funny way of doing that to people.
Posted by: eltoroverde   2008-07-18 15:16  

#4  Obama is living a dream of being one with Kenedy. A nightmare for us?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon   2008-07-18 12:23  

#3  "Ich bin ein Berliner Obamamessiah"
Posted by: Besoeker   2008-07-18 09:49  

#2  So he wants to speak at a place that we fought for over policy that he himself wants to institute in the US.

What a huckster.
Posted by: newc   2008-07-18 09:05  

#1  Great opinion piece by Krauthammer. I just read it on WaPo and was checking to see if it was posted here yet. TU got it! Good find.

The stench of BO really is his own vanity. Always talking down off the end of his nose. Lecturing and lecturing us on basic aspects of our daily lives. Add the Civilian Defense Force he wants to form (see RB yeserday) and his Govt. may be the most controlling and intrusive Govt. since Soviet Communism.

I keep having visions of the endless TV promos with the daily lecture from BO on screens placed all over the public space. Everyone must stop and listen and bow to the BO. "Words just, Words"
Posted by: TomAnon   2008-07-18 09:01  

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