William Kristol: In JFK's footsteps ... Obama in Berlin
[William Kristol is editor of the US Weekly Standard and a New York Times columnist.]
I'll go out on a limb and say that Barack Obama will be well received when he speaks in Berlin tonight. OK, it's not exactly a limb. A recent poll shows that the German public prefers Obama to John McCain by 67% to 6%. But there is angst in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel was reportedly not happy about the idea of a Ronald Reagan reprise in front of the Brandenburg Gate. So the Obama campaign has arranged for its man to speak at the Siegessäule - the Victory Column - in the heart of the city.
The Siegessäule is an impressive structure (especially if you have a militaristic bent). It's a large fluted sandstone column on a base of polished red granite, topped by a golden statue of winged Victory. Completed in 1873, it commemorates Prussia's victories in the previous decade over Denmark, Austria and France. The column was lengthened and relocated to its present site in 1939.
We're a long way from the European wars of the 19th century, and from the National Socialist regime of the 20th. Nonetheless, as Der Spiegel reported on Sunday in its online edition, some German politicians are concerned about the location of Obama's speech. The deputy leader of the Free Democrats worries "whether Barack Obama was advised correctly in his choice of the Siegessäule as the site to hold a speech on his vision for a more cooperative world". One Christian Democrat allows that speaking in front of a monument to a victory over neighbours who are today allies "is a problematic symbol".
I share every civilised person's disdain for Prussian militarism and loathing for National Socialism. But I'm choosing to take the location of Obama's speech as a hopeful sign.
I'm hoping it means that Obama in Berlin will go beyond the anodyne message his campaign advertised on Sunday - a discussion of the"historic US-German partnership" and strengthening transatlantic relations. I'm wondering if Obama chose the Victory Column as his speech venue because he intends to make the case for victory.
There's a precedent for this. As Obama knows, he's been widely compared, especially in Europe, to another young, charismatic Democrat - John F Kennedy. Perhaps Obama will choose to follow in Kennedy's footsteps in Berlin...
Read entire article at Guardian (UK)
I'll go out on a limb and say that Barack Obama will be well received when he speaks in Berlin tonight. OK, it's not exactly a limb. A recent poll shows that the German public prefers Obama to John McCain by 67% to 6%. But there is angst in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel was reportedly not happy about the idea of a Ronald Reagan reprise in front of the Brandenburg Gate. So the Obama campaign has arranged for its man to speak at the Siegessäule - the Victory Column - in the heart of the city.
The Siegessäule is an impressive structure (especially if you have a militaristic bent). It's a large fluted sandstone column on a base of polished red granite, topped by a golden statue of winged Victory. Completed in 1873, it commemorates Prussia's victories in the previous decade over Denmark, Austria and France. The column was lengthened and relocated to its present site in 1939.
We're a long way from the European wars of the 19th century, and from the National Socialist regime of the 20th. Nonetheless, as Der Spiegel reported on Sunday in its online edition, some German politicians are concerned about the location of Obama's speech. The deputy leader of the Free Democrats worries "whether Barack Obama was advised correctly in his choice of the Siegessäule as the site to hold a speech on his vision for a more cooperative world". One Christian Democrat allows that speaking in front of a monument to a victory over neighbours who are today allies "is a problematic symbol".
I share every civilised person's disdain for Prussian militarism and loathing for National Socialism. But I'm choosing to take the location of Obama's speech as a hopeful sign.
I'm hoping it means that Obama in Berlin will go beyond the anodyne message his campaign advertised on Sunday - a discussion of the"historic US-German partnership" and strengthening transatlantic relations. I'm wondering if Obama chose the Victory Column as his speech venue because he intends to make the case for victory.
There's a precedent for this. As Obama knows, he's been widely compared, especially in Europe, to another young, charismatic Democrat - John F Kennedy. Perhaps Obama will choose to follow in Kennedy's footsteps in Berlin...