BBC: Obama looks to Europe as partner (first story on speech)

[brooklynite]

Source: BBC

White House hopeful Barack Obama has told Berliners the US and Europe have drifted apart and it is time for them to come together again.

"If we're honest... we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart and forgotten our shared destiny," he said.

...snip...

He began the speech by paying tribute to the Berliners who held out against Soviet pressure during the blockade after World War II.

Appealing for a renewed partnership with Europe, he identified terrorism, nuclear proliferation, drugs and climate change as global challenges.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7522738.stm

[wordpix]

1. the BIG news is there were 100,000 cheering Germans waving US flags, wanting to shake hands

and get a glimpse of our next president! :applause: :bounce: Obama's at least succeeded in getting US a little overseas goodwill, which King Gorge has smashed for 7 years.

[Joanne98]

2. It was 200,000

[Hekate]

3. I loved the joyous ululation from someone when he mentioned his Kenyan father

Another great speech by our next president! I bet McCain is getting ulcers over having goaded Obama into making this trip.

Hekate

[Waiting For Everyman]

4. Obama has the capabilities and credibility to be President

McCain, clearly, does not. Can you imagine McCain in such a situation? Or what kind of gaffes he might make behind to scenes in talking to world leaders? THAT kind of ability is a pre-requisite for the job. Experience has done nothing to teach McCain that. He isn't even up to conducting himself properly here, during the campaign.

Obama IS this country's values. Frankly the POW/MIA families know that McCain is no POW hero after selling out their loved ones in 1992, and I wish someone would look into that and take that remaining fig-leaf away from him.

It was cool to hear on the C-SPAN coverage of the speech, the David Bowie music played as the crowd waited. McCain wouldn't "get" that, any more than he'd get the people in the crowd it was played for.

I was proud of how Obama accomplished this. He did a good job representing us and American foundational values, as he would leading us. I'd like to see an intelligent, thoughtful, effective President again. There have been too few. What any candidate would do in the future as President is always an unknown risk we take. But a capable President would be far less risky than another one over-experienced at being a hawk-buffoon. We know how that works out. Too well.

[intheflow]

5. What Bowie song was played?

McCain would have had Laurence Welk playing.

[Juneboarder]

6. Funny...

I'm about 15 minutes from the Lawrence Welk Resort... maybe McCain might go there on vaca and allow me to go and protest him!! Lovin' it!!

:hippie:

[Juneboarder]

7. It's a Breath of Fresh Air

to see someone representing our country and trying to seek the acceptance of countries our current pResident has pissed the F off. We definitely wouldn't be where we were if it weren't for Europe.

[knixphan]

8. I love being right.

Exactly what I said about the man from the start - THE perfect face of the US for this time in history. We need a Luke Skywalker out there after 30 years of Vader-ism.