More than 200,000 people watched Barack Obama's speech today at the Victory Column in Berlin's Tiergarten."People of the world – look at Berlin! Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.Watch the amazing speech:Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.
Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.
People of the world – look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.
Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall – a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope – walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history....
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.
In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And if we’re honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny....
People of Berlin – people of the world – this is our moment. This is our time.
I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.
But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived – at great cost and great sacrifice – to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world....
People of Berlin – and people of the world – the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again."
For the complete transcript, click here. For more details on Obama's trip to Germany click here, and here, and here.Earlier today in Berlin, wellwishers cheered Obama's motorcade. As he got out of his car, one man yelled out in English, "Yes we can!" (more)
Here is a video about the background of this historic speech in Berlin today:
I couldn't resist posting this...
MoveOn is giving away new Obama buttons for free, as part of a massive national visibility campaign.
Obama is the world's candidate! Here is a link to a 5-minute video from ABC news about the world's reaction to Obama's presidential campaign. Here is an LA Times article about Obama's initial reception in Afghanistan and an overview of the destinations on this historic trip to Europe and the Middle East. Here's a Herald Tribune article about the trip.
Click here for an interactive version of this map showing Obama's foreign support in various countries (highlighting the countries that he visited). The blue color indicates a higher level of support for Obama in the given country, and the red outlines indicate countries where Obama is visiting this week.
Reuters reported that Germans are very excited about Obama's upcoming trip, but authorities are concerned about logistical problems when possibly hundreds of thousands of people show up to the main event at the Siegessäule in Berlin's Tiergarten. AFP reports that Obama's reception in the Middle East may be more tentative than the excitement that the candidate expects in Europe."While Barack Obama can expect to be feted as a hero as "Obamamania" strikes Europe, he faces a more uncertain welcome on the Middle East leg of his international campaign swing this week.
The presumptive Democratic White House nominee is less popular in Israel than his Republican rival John McCain, and his offer of direct talks with Iranian leaders has caused some consternation in the Jewish state.
Obama also crossed swords with the Palestinian leadership, after vowing in June that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided," a comment which seemed to prejudge final status peace talks.... Obama has however hinted at a return to a fully engaged US role in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, which President George W. Bush avoided until late in his second term....
Obama... is expected to arrive in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II on Monday, after making crucial war zone visits to Afghanistan Sunday, and an expected onward journey to Iraq. Jordanian sources said King Abdullah would take the opportunity to stress the importance of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.....
Obama will then move to Israel for talks with the full spectrum of top officials, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and opposition Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli government officials will be delighted to meet Obama and "exchange ideas" with him, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said.... In a poll by Israel's Mutagim survey institute in June, Israeli Jews favored McCain over Obama 36 to 27 percent."
Barack Obama attended a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem today (July 23, 2008).
Obama's last stop of the day was at the embattled Prime Minister's residence. "I'm very happy that you found the time to come and visit with us in the tradition of all the great friends of the state of Israel and I know how friendly you are and how much you care for us," Ehud Olmert told Obama in the courtyard.Video of Obama in Sderot, Israel (July 23, 2008)--for more click here
As they say in diplomacy and politics, everyone was right on message.
John McCain has complained that the networks are sending their best news anchors and devoting a lot of airtime to Obama's trip, and McCain is arguing for fair time. He's also mad that the NY Times rejected his essay. I was thinking maybe he should do something (or write something) newsworthy rather than complaining, "it's not fair!" Then I heard rumors about a possible VP announcement from the Repubs this week. interesting...Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post published the article on Tuesday and carried an editorial accusing the New York Times of bias: “The New York Times is showing its true colour again (i.e. cobalt blue): just days after running an essay by Barack Obama slamming John McCain’s Iraq policy proposals, the paper summarily nixed the Arizona senator’s rejoinder.” — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008So that's all the "fair time" John McCain is going to get on my blog...
Every four years, the Democratic Party assembles a platform that outlines the party's position on a number of issues.
Traditionally, the drafting of the platform is not open to ordinary people.This year, that's going to change.
For two weeks in July, people all across America will hold Platform Meetings in their own communities to discuss the issues and share their input. The outcome of these meetings will be reviewed by the Drafting Committee as it creates the final Platform.
No political experience is required. Your thoughts and experiences are all that matter, and they will shape a platform that -- like this campaign -- is owned by the people.
This year, ordinary people like you will gather in their homes, community centers, places of worship, and even coffee shops to discuss the issues that matter to them and help decide what should be at the heart of the Democratic platform for change.
The input we get from these meetings will help shape the platform at the Democratic Convention in August.
Platform Meetings are a great way to connect with fellow supporters and help write the next chapter in the history of the Democratic Party.
We'll make sure you have all the resources and support you need to succeed. All you need to provide are your ideas for America and your hunger for change.
I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to make your voice heard in the political process.
Thank you for all that you do,
Barack
"unprecedented grassroots energy during the primary means that the list of competitive states will be longer than ever before -- and it will include states like Virginia and Montana that aren't traditionally within reach for a Democratic presidential candidate." He also said that "in every single state, our staff will build volunteer capacity that will provide help where we need it and impact races up and down the ballot this November."Click here for an interactive map of the United States (from PBS), or this one from The New York Times, with projected results from all of the states. There are more states in play than before, and some of them are: Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, and New Hampshire. Republican strongholds such as South & North Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana are open to change, and through the efforts of local organizers in the South, Barack may take those states as well! 1n 1996, Bill Clinton won Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, and basically the whole Midwest. Especially with the Clintons campaigning by his side, Barack Obama's message of change and hope will be felt throughout our nation. As MLK put it:
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