Ahhh... the Obama campaign...
Yes it is probably photoshopped... still... H/t to Mark Hemmingway at NRO.
Then there is this number by Ed Morrissey at Hot Air on Sen. Obama flunking history:
After receiving a hailstorm of criticism for considering Brandenburg Gate for a public speech, as well as official German dissuasion, Barack Obama moved the venue to the Siegessäule monument. Obama will speak about “historic” US-German relations, but once again, Obama’s own grasp of history has been proven deficient. Not only does the site contain a monument to Prussian victories over other American allies in Europe, its placement was decided by Adolf Hitler — in order to impress crowds in his idealized version of Berlin called Germania:
Still, even as the issue of his speech’s location has now been settled, a number of politicians in Berlin are still dissatisfied with the site. The Siegessäule — or Victory Column — was erected in memory of Prussia’s victories over Denmark (1864), Austria (1866) and France (1870/71). The column originally stood in front of the Reichstag, Germany’s parliament building, but was moved by Adolf Hitler to its current location in 1939 to make way for his planned transformation of Berlin into the Nazi capital “Germania.”
“The Siegessäule in Berlin was moved to where it is now by Adolf Hitler. He saw it as a symbol of German superiority and of the victorious wars against Denmark, Austria and France,” the deputy leader of the Free Democrats, Rainer Brüderle, told Bild am Sonntag. He raised the question as to “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.”
Andreas Schockenhoff of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats said, “the Siegessäule in Berlin is dedicated to a victory over neighbors who are today our European friends and allies. It is a problematic symbol.”
Hitler didn’t just move the monument to its more central location. He had a taller column built for it as well, to emphasize its message of German military domination over Europe. He saw it as a message to Germans of their destiny — as well as to other Europeans as their destiny as well. It was never meant as a symbol of peaceful, multicultural co-existence.
Yes going from the Brandenburg Gate,
with all of its historical import about being steadfast against the USSR and seeking to re-unite the German State, to... well...
...winged victory.
Over Denmark, Austria and France.
Well there you have it: Sen. Obama looking to piss off European Allies in a way no Republican would dare do.
Change you can believe in!
As no matter how bad things are, they can always get worse.
Supporting Friends and Allies
2 comments:
Since I live in Berlin, let me give you the perspective from here: it's a complete storm in a teacup.
Bear in mind that Obama is staggeringly popular here and - as far as I can tell - in the rest of Europe. He'd have to do a lot more than this to dent European enthusiasm for him.
Or, to put it in a more US-centric perspective: whether or not Obama deserves the love that Europe (and the rest of the world) has for him, it gives him massive political capital. If he wins the election, he'll be able to push the world about much more strongly than McCain, simply because of how much more popular he is outside the US.
Dan - Yes, it is a cloudy teacup, but also realize this is the same man who prides himself on 'sensitivity' of other cultures. I mean if he really wanted to do it right, then a biergarten would be a much, much better venue.
The problem with popularity overseas is that it often doesn't win much of anything... and Sen. Obama is pretty close to an isolationist in many regards. Take a look at his stances on trade, US jobs and taxes and one begins to get the idea that Europe might get some economic problems from an Obama Presidency. Many may like his sunny disposition... the vapor behind it, however, is quite noxious.
Yes a biergarten would have done him much better. Strange it was Sen. Clinton that held the beer hall venues.
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