http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/338893Obama Tears Down the Wall
posted by John Nichols on 07/24/2008 @ 5:36pm
Barack Obama had several responsibilities when he embarked on the global tour that John McCain dared him to make.
The young senator from Illinois needed to establish himself as a credible world leader by going to Iraq and Afghanistan evidencing both his recognition of George Bush's manifest mistakes and his willingness and ability to wage a functional fight against legitimate terrorist threats. Check!
He needed to establish himself as respected commander-in-chief by not just appearing for photo-opportunities with troops in the field but by connecting with soldiers so that that all Americans who recognize their confidence in the man who seeks the authority to send these young men and women into life-and-death battles. Check!
He needed to establish himself as a diplomat capable of finessing the demands of Israelis and Palestinians in a manner that might suggest that, unlike Bill Clinton or George Bush, he is committed to advancing a difficult Middle East peace process from Day 1 of his presidency. Check!
And, of course, he needed to confirm his status as the greatest political orator of the era by delivering far more than just a stump speech in Berlin. Check!
snip//
Great speeches are rarely recognized for their significance at the time when they are delivered.
History makes them epic. Reagan's "tear down this wall" line became the stuff of history when the wall was torn down.
Obama's "the walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand" line will become the stuff of history if and when an Obama presidency achieves not just a reconciliation but a new era of global cooperation – on issues of peace, poverty and global warming.
That is a tall order.
Taller, indeed, than any of those placed before Obama when he began his improbable journey.
But on another historic night in Berlin, when the whole world was watching and listening, it seemed… possible.
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