| | |  Americas & Beyond | July 2008 
Obama Mania Grips 200,000 in Berlin
 Allan Hall - The Scotsman
go to original
It was part John F Kennedy, part Martin Luther King and part Ronald Reagan. But in the end, it fused into one man: Barack Obama.
Speaking last night before a crowd of more than 200,000 in Berlin's Tiergarten, not far from where the Berlin Wall once stood, the man who would hold the most powerful political office on Earth delivered an impassioned call for the world's people to unite in their common humanity.
His appearance had the air of a rock concert, with a teeming crowd hooked on every word. He started his speech, saying: "I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before, although tonight I speak to you not as a candidate for president of the United States but a proud citizen of the United States and a proud citizen of the world."
He told the crowd, some 80,000 larger than that which came to hear Kennedy's historic address in 1963, that he knew he did not look much like the Americans who had spoken in Berlin before, emphasising his Kenyan roots.
He went on to talk of how the US and Germany had shared a 60-year partnership. "This city, among all cities, knows the dream of freedom," he said.
He invoked the Berlin airlift of 60 years ago that saved the city from the Communists, the peaceful revolution of 1989 that saw the end of the Berlin Wall and the horror of 9/11.
He told the crowd: "The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers – dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean."
"The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil."
"As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya."
"Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris."
"The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.
"People of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment. This is our time."
Mr Obama acknowledged the differences between the US and Europe. "In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common," he said. "In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth – that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.
"Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together.
"A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more – not less. Partnership and co-operation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.
"That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.
"A new generation – our generation – must make our mark on history."
If he had hoped for a little stardust effect in choosing Berlin as the venue for his message, he was not disappointed. Hailed as the "Black Kennedy" and the "Black Messiah", he capitalised on a seething hatred in Germany for the current occupant of the White House – and a deep suspicion of his opponent in the race to be the next one.
Joerg Zimmerman, 43, of Berlin, called Obama's speech an extension of the one made by president Ronald Reagan in 1987, where he called for the Berlin Wall to be torn down.
"I liked it when he was talking about different people coming together, and when he picked up where Reagan left off about tearing down walls," he said.
Some 67 per cent of Germans said in a poll this week they would rather Mr Obama was the next leader of the free world than his Republican rival, John McCain.
Obama chose the front-line city of the Cold War as the appropriate setting for a sermon about the new conflict – with Islamic fundamentalism. Aides said he could have picked London or Paris, but with Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy on the floor in ratings terms – and with the precedent of Berlin being good to US statesmen – he seemed to have made the right choice.
Berlin was where JFK made his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in 1963 and where Reagan implored the Soviets to "tear down this wall" in 1987.
Tens of thousands flocked to the base of the Victory Column in the Tiergarten at the heart of the city. The column, celebrating 19th-century Prussian military victories, is less than a mile from the Brandenburg Gate, where he initially hoped to speak but was stopped by Angela Merkel, the chancellor, who felt it would be an "inappropriate" venue.
Germany has been swept up in "Obamania" for days, flattered that he had picked the German capital for his most important stop in Europe.
Mr Obama's security aides, working with local police, had confiscated anti-George Bush posters and leaflets – anything that could be played back as being "un-American" in the super-patriotic race for the White House.
Fans turned up from as far away as Togo, screaming "Obama today, Obama today!" outside the luxury Adlon Hotel where he spent the night. At least 10,000 expatriate Americans from across Europe caught trains and planes to Berlin for his speech.
Mr McCain, who was devoting his time to the US Midwest, chose to campaign in a German restaurant – in Ohio. He told reporters he would love to give a speech in Germany, "but I'd much prefer to do it as president of the United States rather than as a candidate for president".
Mr Obama will now move on to France and Britain, visits that will conclude a foreign trip designed to advertise his grasp of international issues and to place him in presidential-style settings with key world leaders.
Cameron and Brown set for an out-and-out battle to bask in reflected glory
Gerri Peev
Barack Obama's visit is likely to trigger a tug-of-war between Gordon Brown and David Cameron, as both leaders hope his popularity rubs off on them.
Both men will meet Mr Obama on Saturday. But the Tory leader threatens to steal the show quietly with the Senator , who has been likened to a rock star for his ability to draw massive crowds.
While Mr Brown will host Mr Obama inside Number 10 for 45 minutes, protocol dictates he cannot hold a joint press conference with him as he has not been elected president.
To do so would be to show favouritism towards Mr Obama, and represent a snub to the Republican rival, John McCain.
Although he is always mindful of manners, Mr Cameron is not bound by such stringent rules. The Tory leader will walk with the US presidential candidate around Westminster and straight into the House of Commons.
There, the pair will spend half an hour or so together in Mr Cameron's Commons office before issuing a joint statement.
The Scotsman understands that Mr Obama was just as keen for the meeting as Mr Cameron, who is well ahead in the polls in front of Mr Brown. There have been intense diary discussions between the offices of the Senator and the Opposition leader for some weeks.
A source close to Mr Cameron said that the Tory leader found Mr Obama impressive: "David has been a huge admirer of Obama. He is greatly looking forward to the meeting."
Earlier this week, the Democrats' candidate revealed he wanted to meet leaders with whom he expected to forge a ten-year-strong relationship, if he wins the election. Embarrassingly for Mr Brown, while he rattled off a host of names, he omitted the Prime Minister's.
Mr Obama will take questions outside Number 10 after his meeting with Mr Brown, but there will not be a joint "grip and grin" photo opportunity.
The Prime Minister's predecessor, Tony Blair, will also meet Mr Obama at his London hotel.
With 'Ich bin ein Berliner' JFK cemented centuries-old ties
President John F Kennedy's statement "Ich bin ein Berliner" was intended to show the United States' unwavering support for West Germany in the frostiest period of the Cold War.
But strong relations between the two countries go back much further. Germans have been emigrating to the US since the 17th century and some 15 per cent of the US population can trace their heritage back to Germany.
The persecution of Jews led to a new wave of emigration.
The US's presence as an occupying power in the aftermath of the Second World War has, paradoxically, deepened affections.
The operation of an airlift for nearly an entire year in 1948 when the Soviets blockaded Berlin, and the economic recovery enabled by Marshall Plan, strengthened German feelings towards Americans.
At the height of the Cold War, US military bases acted as a deterrent to the Soviets. |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us