Obama in Germany
I think America may soon learn that "the Emperor has no clothes." The protective press veil around Barack Obama may be about to be torn away. This is video of ABC News' Jake Tapper reporting from Berlin yesterday on Good Morning America. In his report, Tapper reveals the truth about Barack Obama's excessive ego by showing that Obama has replaced the U.S. Flag that was on the tail of his airplane "with an enormous Obama "O". He also describes how Obama has redesigned the airplane to separate Obama and his staff "from us lowly reporters," and he shows you the "Obama napkin rings" now provided with meals. He also mentions that Obama's staff acts as if they are already in the White House, which Tapper said they pointed out to them that they are not yet in the White House.
This report gives me hope that the media is beginning to see aspects of Obama they don't like, and he could be in for a different kind of media ride in the months to come.
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John McCain's campaign is reacting to the Obama Campaign's defense of their decision to cancel a visit to troops in Germany with the reasoning that it would be "inappropriate" to do so since the trip is being paid for by the campaign:
UPDATE: The McCain campaign issued the following comment on Obama’s decision to cancel a visit to the troops at Ramstein Air Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany today:
"Barack Obama is wrong. It is never ‘inappropriate’ to visit our men and women in the military," said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers.
As we posted earlier, it appears the trip may have been canceled to provide time for Obama to tour the sights of Berlin instead.
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Barack Obama, calling himself a "Citizen of the World," committed himself to reducing America's Nuclear Defenses in a speech delivered in Berlin, Germany, today -- a city ironically united because Ronald Reagan built up America's Nuclear Arsenal.
This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.
This is an aspect of Obama's far-left liberal philosophy that has not been greatly explored as of yet. Obama has previously said he favors deep cuts in America's defenses, both nuclear and conventional:
Barack Obama was running for "President of the World" today in Berlin, wanting to please the crowd. But he is running for "President of the United States." It was out of line for him to give a public speech outlining his plans that are not the policy of the U.S. Government he represents. Americans should ask themselves if this man, who so covets adulation from a crowd of Europeans, would truly act in the best interests of the United States. That's the only job of the U.S. President -- Not to be a citizen of "the world," but protect and advance the best interests of the United Sates.
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Der Speigel is reporting that Barack Obama has cancelled a planned visit to the Rammstein and Landstuhl U.S. Military bases in Germany, bases that include wounded U.S. soldiers:
++ Visit to US Military Bases Cancelled ++
1:42 p.m.: SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that Obama has cancelled a planned short visit to the Rammstein and Landstuhl US military bases in the southwest German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The visits were planned for Friday. "Barack Obama will not be coming to us," a spokesperson for the US military hospital in Landstuhl announced. "I don't know why." Shortly before the same spokeswoman had announced a planned visit by Obama.
And why, pray tell, did Obama cancel the trip to see these troops? It appears he would rather tour the sights of Berlin than say "thank you" to our men and women in uniform. Ed Morrissey has the word:
Well, this gets better. According to Jake Tapper, the problem wasn’t scheduling at all:
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.”
Obama canceled a previously-planned stop to visit thousands of American service personnel, including troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan being treated at Landstuhl, so he could hold a political rally for Germans and go shopping in Berlin. Now that’s a nice set of priorities for a man who wants to become Commander in Chief.
Barack Obama's Big Adventure rolls into Berlin today, and an estimated 100,000 - 1 million Germans are expected to turn out to hear Obama speak at the base of a monument dedicated to German Domination of it's European neighbors. The monument was Hitler's favorite, who had it moved to it's current location and made it even grander in his day by giving it a taller pedestal.
Now we have word that the Obama Campaign is forbidding signs or placards at the rally, probably because they don't want any anti-American messages to spoil the photo-op value of the event:
But not everyone, of course, is euphoric about the conditions under which Obama will appear in Berlin.
Those wishing to attend have been advised that signs and posters will be prohibited at the speech -- a move that has come in for criticism particularly from the left. There has been speculation that the Obama camps wants to avoid pictures of Germans making anti-American statements that could hurt the candidate back home.
Others say the ban is aimed at preventing political activists from making demands of Obama on uncomfortable issues. The World Wide Fund for Nature plans to flout the prohibition by issuing members T-shirts with pictures of polar bears and the words "Yes, You Can!" as a way of encouraging Obama to take a tougher line on environmental protection.
Moreover, some residents of Germany's perennially cash-strapped capital have taken umbrage at the fact that Obama's visit will cost a half-million euros ($786,000) -- half of which will be born by German public funds.
"How come the German and the Berlin taxpayer has to pony up 250,000 euros so that Obama gets a nice television backdrop for his campaign?" asked one irritated blogger on the website of a local newspaper.
But another was quick to respond.
"What do want, McCain to win?" that person asked. "It would be good if Obama won, and he can only do that if he convinces voters back home via the TV. So let the cameras show masses of people flocking to Obama through the Brandenburg Gate."
Obama originally wanted to speak at that symbolic location, but the event was moved after concerns that the Gate shouldn't be used for political purposes. Now the Democratic candidate hopes that huge crowds of cheering supporters, mostly foreign, at Victory Column will help him win November's election in the US.
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When Barack's Big Adventure lands in Berlin, Germany on July 24, it appears he will try and stage his own "Million Man March" at the site of a "problematic symbol" that was especially adored by Adolf Hitler:
Finally, it's official. Barack Obama, when he arrives in Berlin on July 24, will hold his speech at the Siegessäule monument in the heart of the city, according to an announcement made by his campaign office in Chicago on Sunday. In his speech, he will speak about the "historic US-German partnership" and about the importance of strengthening trans-Atlantic relations, according to his campaign team.
The Siegessäule is located about a kilometer down the Strasse des 17. Juni from the Brandenburg Gate. His speech is set to begin at 7 p.m. and Berlin is expecting a massive number of Obama fans to show up -- between 10,000 and a million according to one city official quoted in the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel.
Still, even as the issue of his speech's location has now been settled, a number of politicians in Berlin are still dissatisfied with the site. The Siegessäule -- or Victory Column -- was erected in memory of Prussia's victories over Denmark (1864), Austria (1866) and France (1870/71). The column originally stood in front of the Reichstag, Germany's parliament building, but was moved by Adolf Hitler to its current location in 1939 to make way for his planned transformation of Berlin into the Nazi capital "Germania."
"The Siegessäule in Berlin was moved to where it is now by Adolf Hitler. He saw it as a symbol of German superiority and of the victorious wars against Denmark, Austria and France," the deputy leader of the Free Democrats, Rainer Brüderle, told Bild am Sonntag. He raised the question as to "whether Barack Obama was advised correctly in his choice of the Siegessäule as the site to hold a speech on his vision for a more cooperative world."
Andreas Schockenhoff of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats said, "the Siegessäule in Berlin is dedicated to a victory over neighbors who are today our European friends and allies. It is a problematic symbol."
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Ed Morrissey has said it all masterfully about the incredible lack of judgment displayed by Barack Obama in choosing the Siegessäule Monument as the site of a massive rally when he visits Germany on Barack's Big Adventure:
Obama will speak about “historic” US-German relations, but once again, Obama’s own grasp of history has been proven deficient. Not only does the site contain a monument to Prussian victories over other American allies in Europe, its placement was decided by Adolf Hitler — in order to impress crowds in his idealized version of Berlin called Germania . . .
Hitler didn’t just move the monument to its more central location. He had a taller column built for it as well, to emphasize its message of German military domination over Europe. He saw it as a message to Germans of their destiny — as well as to other Europeans as their destiny as well. It was never meant as a symbol of peaceful, multicultural co-existence.
Team Obama has outdone themselves on symbolism with this choice. They’ve managed to make their hosts uncomfortable for a second time with their choice of rallying point, and perhaps more so this time. If one wanted to talk peace, what worse location could one choose than Adolf Hitler’s favorite monument to militaristic domination? One has to wonder how France, Denmark, and Austria will feel about Obama rallying German masses under the Siegessäule. Deja vu?
Obama could be excused for his gaffe, except for two reasons. His team certainly understood the historical weight that the Brandenburg Gate would have lent his event, so why didn’t they bother to ask the Germans about the Siegessäule? Quite obviously, the Germans understand the meaning and subtext of the monument, and most of them wonder why Obama does not. Maybe this is a better example of clueless Americans traveling abroad than those who can only say Merci, beaucoup.
The more basic question is why Obama feels the need to conduct a campaign event among Germans. Meeting with foreign leaders makes sense for a man with no foreign policy experience whatsoever, but that doesn’t require massive rallies among people who aren’t voting in this election. In his rush to look impressive for no one’s purposes but his own, Obama has made himself look ignorant and arrogant all over again.
So, let's get this scene clearly in mind: Obama on the steps of Hitler's favorite monument to German domination, holding the masses spellbound with one of his speeches . . . . .The press crucified Ronald Reagan for laying a wreath at a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany where some SS Soldiers were buried - Remember? Will they hold Obama to the same standard here? Of course not - this is Barack's Big Adventure!
