I have paid particular attention to the German aspect of Barack Obama’s trip for many reasons. The spectacle of the Berlin speech struck me as grossly overdone in terms of location, the tone of the speech and the presence of 200,000 viewers. It would have been much more appropriate for a visiting American president than for a candidate-even one with Obama’s ego.

In light of Germany’s history, eyebrows have also been raised about the reaction of Germans to Obama’s presence. The sight of 200,000 Germans wildly cheering a charismatic and gifted speaker brings back troubling memories for many even if, as I would insist, this is a new Germany-not the Germany of the 1930s and 40s.

I have a personal connection to Germany. I first set foot on German soil in 1966 as a young American soldier. I spent two and a half years there, almost all of that period in Erlangen, a university town 20 kilometers from Nuremberg. In subsequent years, I became sort of an amateur scholar on the history of the Third Reich. Being greatly attached to Germany, I have returned countless times and eventually wrote a history of Erlangen a few years back. I freely admit that I am a Germanophile, and I think the Germans are basically a good and decent people. I also maintain that Germany, at least since the 1960s, has admirably met its responsibility to confront and acknowledge its past, much as we Americans have acknowledged our history of slavery and discrimination.

My reaction to the Obama appearance in Germany is a little different. I never expected for a second that the crowd was going to break out in “Sieg Heils”. My question is why Obama met with such an overwhelming reaction in Berlin.

During my last trip to Erlangen in June, I met with several friends and colleagues who are professional people in the university, education and politics. I also spoke at a local gymnasium English class. Everyone is interested in the American election. Yet, as much as the Germans are interested in America, I sense that their knowledge about our country, its people and institutions is rather superficial even for educated people. For example, everybody wanted to know about Obama, yet few had any knowledge about John McCain. Some were not even sure about his name. I sensed also that many of the people I spoke to had high expectations for what a President Obama would accomplish. Why is this? (For that matter, why do so many Americans have such an inflated image of this man-one not justified by his experience and accomplishments?) Is it because of the novelty of his ethnic background-or his youthful appearance-or his speaking ability?

Or is it that Germans look to Obama to end the war in Iraq, end all wars and bring peace to the world?

That is an aspect that deserves more attention. The Germans lost two disastrous world wars in the 20th century, each one bringing misery to the German nation and its people. The last one also brought international damnation upon Germany and a legacy that they are still trying to overcome. The last thing Germans want to see is another world war. That is understandable and should be respected.

While German pacifism is certainly understandable, I suspect they are forgetting one lesson of Hitler and the Nazi era. That I would call the lesson of Munich and Neville Chamberlain in 1938. There are certain people who cannot be negotiated with. In that category, I place people like Hitler and Islamic fanatics. They are fanatical and they are evil. During the Cold War, we could negotiate with the Soviets because, whatever they were, they were not irrational. The idea of mutual assured destruction was always in their minds. Today’s enemies, people like Al-Qaida, Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah, are not rational. They don’t care if the world goes up in flames. They don’t care if they die-as long as their version of Islam triumphs world-wide. What is there to negotiate? We can leave Iraq tomorrow, and our enemies will not lay down their arms. Furthermore, Germany and the rest of Europe are just as threatened as America.

Dennis Prager is an LA-based talk show host whom I respect greatly. He is a practicing Jew, who also says that the Germany of today has done an admirable job of acknowledging its past-much more so than some other countries who were on the wrong side of World War 2. Yet, in discussing the Germans and the Obama speech in Berlin, Prager made the point (and I am paraphrasing)that there is a vast difference between fighting evil and the notion that fighting is evil.

I think that is a point worthy of thought on both sides of the Atlantic.

gary fouse
fousesquawk

“In a magazine interview Obama and his wife Michelle revealed that one of their steadfast house rules is not giving Christmas or birthday presents to Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven.”

Interesting, isn’t it?

I wonder how many other normal households in the US have strict guidelines against both Christmas and Birthday presents?

Obviously Jewish households don’t celebrate Christmas, but they do celebrate Birthdays!

Hmmmmmmmm……..

Oh yeah, MUSLIMS don’t celebrate either Christmas NOR Birthdays!

Interesting, no?

Can you spell, “Taqiyah“???

“Sir, you beclown yourself” -Ace

Does anyone have a favorite website(s) that catalogs all of the current negatives about Obama the candidate? Something with some real facts, policies, and quotes, not just rancor. electric-rascal on July 25, 2008 at 11:27 PM

My favorite for that is HotAir. :-)

LevStrauss on July 25, 2008 at 10:25 AM

Provocation without imagination leads to stagnation instead of indignation and exposes your mental masturbation.

Congratulations.

Dale in Atlanta on July 25, 2008 at 3:31 PM

I will not submit.

Entelechy on July 25, Weltmensch
2008 at 12:53 PM

Aber, was für ein Mensch ist er? Heilig?

I have several people that only get their Obama info from network news… I’d like to “put them wise”.

Wait until he gets elected though…

Dale in Atlanta on July 25, 2008 at 4:16 PM

Actually, I pray he never does. I have never been more concerned for the future of our county than I am now.

Wait until he gets elected though…

“Has he endorced these?”

For those of you who have castigated me here, for implying that his Holiness, Barack HUSSEIN Obama (PBUH)(SWT)(SAW), is a Marxist-Mulism, please feel free to check this out, and then start fitting the women folk in your extended family for Burqas!

Dale in Atlanta on July 25, 2008 at 3:31 PM

No disagreement or castigating from me. Just a question. Isn’t this a link to issues and solution of Muslims for Obama and not Obama’s solution for Muslims? Has endorsed these? And if so, I sure would like to see a link to his endorsement.

This is meaningless. All hope is improbably, isn’t it? As St. Paul said, “Why does a man hope for that which he can see?”

Also, to speak of “a people” is to differentiate them from other people or tribes. However, he was speaking as a (or the) representative of humanity, a citizen of the world, giving voice to the aspirations of all homo sapiens. So this use of the term “a people” is nonsensical unless intended to be divisive: to differentiate a people (his supporters) from other people.

This is why I treat him as a poor speaker, because a better speaker would have read and reread that speech critically, not only to make a better presentation but to see if it made sense. To speak gibberish eloquently is not to be a good speaker.

ya know, the only people who are claiming Obama is a “messiah” or “Christ” are pundits on the right. It’s a lame joke. Change the record, why don’tcha.

I have more after you’re done with these.
Esthier on July 24, 2008 at 3:52 PM

Googled “Obama and Jesus”

Results: 9,280,000

Christ appears in Berlin, uses lots of “wall” metaphors;

You mean the ANTI-CHRIST APPEARS IN BERLIN

“Lord—Protect my family and me,” reads the note published in the Maariv daily. “Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will.”

Obama’s Western Wall prayer.

It looks like the lord has his work cut out on the “guard against pride” issue.

I am truly sorry for making three posts in a row. This will be my last post here. However I have to ask:

Is Obama an educated Fool or an educated Tool?

entagor on July 25, 2008 at 12:30 PM

He is both a fool and a tool.

As for the three posts – no need to apologize. There’s no three-post rule (I think). If there was, MB4 would have been kicked out long ago. (Shssss. I’m whispering this. He’s not here now but if he hears me from another thread he’ll storm over here and all hell will break out.)