Obama wows Berlin crowd with historic speech

[cal04]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2008/jul/24/barackobama.uselections2008

For the man who has brought rock-star charisma to electoral politics, today saw the campaign rally as pop festival, a summer gathering of peace, love — and loathing of George Bush.

Taking what he calls his "improbable journey" to the heart of Europe, Barack Obama succeeded in closing down one of Berlin's main thoroughfares tonight, luring the city's young in their tens of thousands to stand in the evening sunshine and hear him spin his dreams of hope, not for America this time, but for the whole world.

The young and the pierced, some with guitars slung over their shoulders, others barefoot, jammed up against each other to cheer on a man who in less than a year has become the world's most popular serving politician, even
if, as yet, he has been elected to no office grander than the junior Senate seat for Illinois.
(snip)
the loudest applause came when Obama, however subtly, offered himself as the coming antidote to all that Germans, Europeans, indeed most non-Americans, have disliked about the Bush era.


Barack Obama waves to the crowd in Berlin. Photograph: Carsten Koall/Getty Images

[opihimoimoi]

1. K&R Obama showed the Mac Camp to go eat shit and die....drown in drool

[NEOBuckeye]

2. If only the whole world could vote. n/t

[DCKit]

3. Ah, but they are.

But I am a bit confused over the choices France, Italy, Australia and Canada have made in electing RW/fascist governments. Were they trying to do us one better and show us how real professionals with experience and a sense of history do it?

GAH!!!

[opihimoimoi]

4. That would be cool...perhaps...someday soon.

[qwlauren35]

5. I don't like the spin of this article.

It pushes the idea that Obama is fluff. I'm VERY tired of this.