this guy really doesn't like BO.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/author/charles_krauthammer/ )

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama wants to speak at the Brandenburg Gate.
He figures it would be a nice backdrop. The supporting cast -- a cheering audience and a few fainting frauleins -- would be a picturesque way to bolster his foreign policy credentials.
What Obama does not seem to understand is that the Brandenburg Gate is something you earn. President Reagan earned the right to speak there because his relentless pressure had brought the Soviet empire to its knees and he was demanding its final "tear down this wall" liquidation. When President Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate on the day of his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, he was representing a country that was prepared to go to the brink of nuclear war to defend West Berlin.

Who is Obama representing? And what exactly has he done in his lifetime to merit appropriating the Brandenburg Gate as a campaign prop? What was his role in the fight against communism, the liberation of Eastern Europe, the creation of what George Bush 41 -- who presided over the fall of the Berlin Wall but modestly declined to go there for a victory lap -- called "a Europe whole and free"?
Does Obama not see the incongruity? It's as if a German pol took a campaign trip to America and demanded the Statue of Liberty as a venue for a campaign speech. (The Germans have now gently nudged Obama into looking at other venues.)
Americans are beginning to notice Obama's elevated opinion of himself.
There's nothing new about narcissism in politics. Every senator looks in the mirror and sees a president. Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?
Obama is a three-year senator without a single important legislative achievement to his name, a former Illinois state senator who voted "present" nearly 130 times. As president of the Harvard Law Review, as law professor and as legislator, has he ever produced a single notable piece of scholarship? Written a single memorable article? His most memorable work is a biography of his favorite subject: himself.
It is a subject upon which he can dilate effortlessly. In his victory speech upon winning the nomination, Obama declared it a great turning point in history -- "generations from now we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment" -- when, among other wonders, "the rise of the oceans began to slow." As economist Irwin Stelzer noted in his London Daily Telegraph column, "Moses made the waters recede, but he had help." Obama apparently works alone.
Obama may think he's King Canute, but the good king ordered the tides to halt precisely to refute sycophantic aides who suggested that he had such power. Obama has no such modesty.
After all, in the words of his own slogan, "we are the ones we've been waiting for," which, translating the royal "we," means: "I am the one we've been waiting for." Amazingly, he had a quasi-presidential seal with its own Latin inscription affixed to his podium, until general ridicule -- it was pointed out that he was not yet president -- induced him to take it down
He lectures us that instead of worrying about immigrants learning English, "you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish" -- a language Obama does not speak. He further admonishes us on how "embarrassing" it is that Europeans are multilingual but "we go over to Europe, and all we can say is, 'merci beaucoup.'" Obama speaks no French.
His fluent English does, however, feature many such admonitions, instructions and improvements. His wife assures us that President Obama will be a stern taskmaster: "Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism ... that you come out of your isolation. ... Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed."
For the first few months of the campaign, the question about Obama was: Who is he? The question now is: Who does he think he is?
We are getting to know. Redeemer of our uninvolved, uninformed lives. Lord of the seas. And more. As he said on victory night, his rise marks the moment when "our planet began to heal." As I recall -- I'm no expert on this -- Jesus practiced his healing just on the sick. Obama operates on a larger canvas.letters@charleskrauthammer.com ( mailto:%20letters@charleskrauthammer.com )

Personally, I still do not understand why he would even want to speak at the Brandenburg Gate...

Anyone got a good answer?

While I don't agree with Mr. Krauthammer's overall opinion of Obama, I agree with his point about the Brandenburg Gate. At least until someone shows me a good reason he should speak there.

Dont have a clue! Strange

quote:

Originally posted by majthor:
Personally, I still do not understand why he would even want to speak at the Brandenburg Gate...

Anyone got a good answer?

quote:

Originally posted by majthor:
Personally, I still do not understand why he would even want to speak at the Brandenburg Gate...

Anyone got a good answer?

My guess is that he wants to portray himself amongst notable past-Presidents (e.g. the aforementioned Reagan and JFK).

Sounds like typical political propaganda...

Very simply he wants to overcome the stereotype that he isn't presidential. The same reason he wants to deliver his acceptance speech at the football stadium in Denver instead of the basketball arena. The grander the stage, the grander the moment.

Small town hall meetings work well in the cornbelt, but this will be his first opportunity on the world stage, so he needs a stage the world knows.

I'm not defending him for speaking there, I'm just giving you why he wants to speak there. It's the same reason McCain has made a number of trips to Iraq - it is a grand photo op.

quote:

Originally posted by Mountain Tider:
Very simply he wants to overcome the stereotype that he isn't presidential. The same reason he wants to deliver his acceptance speech at the football stadium in Denver instead of the basketball arena. The grander the stage, the grander the moment.

Small town hall meetings work well in the cornbelt, but this will be his first opportunity on the world stage, so he needs a stage the world knows.

I'm not defending him for speaking there, I'm just giving you why he wants to speak there. It's the same reason McCain has made a number of trips to Iraq - it is a grand photo op.

I suppose the mouth breathers that worship his feet will buy the stunt, but I am afraid not many sensible folks, including those that do support him will buy this stunt... Seems a bit of a bridge too far to me...

The answer is quite simple. The goobers handling him think it will make a great media moment. Nothing more.

I see some idealistic reasons as well.



Barack Obama’s oratory at the Brandenburg Gate may be a symbol… to signal a rebuilding of diplomatic bridges burned by George W. Bush.

The memory of John F. Kennedy’s famous Berlin speech is still alive. Berlin is a bridge between East and West, and our relationship with Germany is still strong.

Also, it was there in 1987 that Ronald Reagan invited Mikhail Gorbachev to “open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Also keep in mind that Bush is not well liked in Europe and many Europeans see Obama as a better option than the current president. He will be very well received on his trip to Europe and giving a speech there will highlight his image as a potential world leader.

WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF???

Now that the two primary Presidential candidates are clearly identified, with major differences in their experience, background and platform, it is important to look back to see if history is destined to repeat itself.

Dr. Larry J. Tracy shares his message with you. It is titled "The Frog Theory."

He explains why we never see danger until it is too late.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE FROG THEORY
If you drop a frog in boiling water he will leap right out. If you put the frog in the water and slowly heat the water he will be content until it's too late to get out. That is exactly how history works. It moves slowly and we never really see any danger until it's too late.

Remember how suppressed workers were before unions came along? The unions leveled the playing field. Unfortunately, over a long period of time the pendulum swung too far. Slowly, businesses and factories closed and jobs left the country. We were comfortable and didn't see the change coming. We blamed everyone except ourselves for what happened. We weren't alert to how slow things change over time.

World War II, and the Korean War, demonstrated how powerful a united nation could be. Our nation, and our families, were united. The father was the head of the family and the President was the head of the nation. Both were highly respected. We were content and happy.

We were good at fighting a hot war, but we were unprepared to fight a cold war with the communists in the 50's. They knew they couldn't change us but they didn't care. Their philosophy was to wait it out and capture the minds of our children. They loaded our colleges with many of their professors and waited. It didn't take long to see the results.

The 60''s ushered in the radicals, drug culture, student protesters, and the Vietnam War. The aim of the cold war was to divide and conquer. They divided our families and the nation. The secret to defeating a polite and respectful people is to scream. The louder and longer you scream the better your chance of winning. Radicals are masters at this form of attack. They know if you constantly scream and repeat a lie it will eventually become the truth.

The media, and Hollywood, hammered us with hate America themes and stories. Our service men, and women, were jeered, cursed, and spit on. Even the people, who latter wanted to become their President, thrashed them. We lost our first War in history. There was no hero's homecoming for our fighting men and women .

The Reverend King, who was raised in the old school, peacefully changed the race issue and united the people. When he died the new breed of leaders like the Jesse Jackson's, Lewis Farakon,'s Al Sharpton's, and Rev. Wright's put a lid on his efforts and turned racism into a money making machine.

Corporations were green-mailed by threats of protests, product boycotts, or endless lawsuits. Every issue, large or small, became a race issue. The public recoiled in fear of being called a racist. Their voices were silenced because one word could cost you a career, get you fired, or get you sued.

Even politicians buckled under to the pressure. The Florida legislature issued a formal apology for having slavery 200 years ago. They were thanked by being asked for compensation. There is no end in sight for this kind of nonsense. America didn't capture slaves and bring them to America. Their own people sold them to slave traders from several nations. This knowledge doesn't stop the screamers. History is what it is and you can't change it. There have been many tragic events in history. You acknowledge them and move on.

They divided our nation into two separate Americas. We now have Americans, and African-Americans, although Africa has nothing to do with being an American. You can be one or the other but not both. You are what you were born to be. You do not subordinate our country to any foreign nation. It's equivalen t to flying the African flag above the Stars and Stripes. If you hyphenate two countries America always comes first.

This election year could be the turning point in our history because the frog theory has come into play. It's time to step back and look at how the country has slowly changed since the cold war started. Don't get caught up in all the hype.

George McGovern was the first Presidential candidate to test the waters with college students. The Clinton's played a big role in his campaign. It was the worst campaign ever run. He was crushed in the election.

Step two was to infiltrate all the information vehicles such as radio, newspapers, magazines, TV and movies. They were quite successful at that. Jimmy Carter was the first President to demonstrate the leadership skills of the far left. Weak military, high taxes, runaway inflation, 19% mortgage rates, and plain incompetence ended his career in Washington. Iran, a small country at the time, took American hostages and kicked sand in our face. By negotiating from weakness Carter could not get the hostages released.

The big benefit of the Carter years is that they were followed by the Reagan years. The nation got a clear look at the difference between a weak nation and a strong nation. Every student should know this difference. When Ronald Reagan took over the hostages were quickly released, taxes were lowered, inflation dropped, mortgage rates dropped, and the military was strengthened. Russia quickly waved the white flag and waited for another Democrat term.

Clinton took over Carters uncompleted social programs. He weakened the military and tried to pass large government programs. An Intern derailed his Presidency. While he was tied up with his personal problems his lawyers ran the country. He passed up three opportunities to take out Osama Bin Laden. This eventually cost us the loss of our Twin Towers, thousands of American lives, and got us involved in a war with Iraq.

By the end of his term the left had captured a large share of the media and it flexed its muscle in 2000. The hate Bush campaign got off to a roaring start. The brainwashing theory of repeating the same story over and over again was launched.

There were endless stories about our evil nation and its President. Top-secret plans were leaked to the press and printed for the entire world to see. Hollywood cranked out documentaries about the evil Bush administration and our evil military. They laid the groundwork for the next election. The ACLU flooded the courts with lawsuits and the Democrat party became a law firm. Almost every incumbent, or his or her spouse, is a lawyer.

They now have the perfect candidate because they can squash criticism by playing the race card. If you don't like Obama, or criticize him, you are a racist. They can hide his inexperience and background by turning him into a rock star and singing change and hope. They don't tell us what kind of change, or how it will be done, only that you should hope for the best. By keeping the hype going they don't have to put anything of substance on the table.

The only thing we really know about Obama is that his wife has never been proud to be an American. They want us to believe that his liberal college professors, Rev. Pfleger, his ties to radicals Bill Ayer and Lewis Farakon, and listening to the Rev. Wright's hate talks for 20 years, had no influence on his thinking. If they didn't, then who did? He wasn't in business and didn't see fit to serve his country. These people launched his political career and their organizations received earmarks in return for their campaign donations and political help. They must have had some influence. Rev. Wright's church received over $15 million. That's only one small local church. Think on a national scale.

The change being promoted is a change back to the Carter years. It started in 2006 when the lawyer party took over. There have been endless lawsuits and investigations in retaliation for the Clinton years. It keeps the lawyers busy but does nothing for the economy. The economy has been in a downward spiral since they took over.

Returning to the Carter years of high taxes, high inflation, and a weak military is not the change we are looking for. We cannot cower to a bunch of crazies whose only goal in life is to kill us.

The old sage's (over 50) will have to play a big role in this election. The young people simply don't know what the aged know. The advantage of aging is the knowledge you accumulated. You know what United States means. You know what the seldom-heard word respect means. You know how wonderful freedom and independence is. You know the difference between a strong and a weak nation; and you know what it takes to keep it strong. You know history because you have lived it.

Although the old guard is dying off, and getting too tired to fight, they have to muster one more charge. If they don't, our children, and grandchildren, will never know the joy and freedom that is the bedrock of our country. The heat is slowly being turned up and the water is getting hot. The old frogs better start jumping before it's too late.

Oh, look. BH disappears and Dr. Know reappears, posting articles as usual.

quote:

Originally posted by Mountain Tider:
Also keep in mind that Bush is not well liked in Europe and many Europeans see Obama as a better option than the current president. He will be very well received on his trip to Europe and giving a speech there will highlight his image as a potential world leader.

I didnt need anymore reasons not to vote for him but if the Europeans feel this way about him then that gives me just one more reason. Why is he so enamored w/ the Europeans? Why dont he just go live there? That will give his wife another opportunity to be proud.

quote:

Originally posted by Obviously:
Oh, look. BH disappears and Dr. Know reappears, posting articles as usual.

And it's the same one he posted last week.

quote:

Originally posted by CrimsonPhoenix:
I see some idealistic reasons as well.



Barack Obama’s oratory at the Brandenburg Gate may be a symbol… to signal a rebuilding of diplomatic bridges burned by George W. Bush.

The memory of John F. Kennedy’s famous Berlin speech is still alive. Berlin is a bridge between East and West, and our relationship with Germany is still strong.

Also, it was there in 1987 that Ronald Reagan invited Mikhail Gorbachev to “open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Nice metaphors...