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Deb Saunders
Debra J. Saunders
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If It's Thursday, This Must Be Berlin

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Should Americans become more like Our Betters in Europe?

Clearly the 200,000 Germans who gathered to watch Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama at Berlin's Tiergarten on Thursday thought so. And in that Obama liberally challenged U.S. policies on the war in Iraq, global warming and U.S. interrogation measures, he gave the German audience the affirmation it craved.

A Pew Research Center poll showed 82 percent of Germans had confidence that Obama would do the right thing on world affairs. No wonder.

In Germany, it was all wunderbar . Addressing the throng as a "proud citizen of the United States," but also "a fellow citizen of the world," Obama seemed to be giving Europeans a role and a voice in an election in which they have no vote.

Not that Europeans haven't tried to play a role in U.S. electoral politics before. Who can forget Operation Clark County? That was the campaign waged by British paper the Guardian that encouraged Brits to write to voters in a swing county in the swing state of Ohio to urge them to vote for 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry — because "the result of the U.S. election will affect the lives of millions around the world, but those of us outside the 50 states have had no say in it."

Well, they had their say, and Clark was the only county in Ohio to switch from supporting Gore in 2000 to Bush GOP in 2004. George W. Bush garnered some 25 percent more votes than in 2000.

To date, Obamaland has run an extremely savvy and effective campaign, but the European leg of the Obama world tour could be one big wrong turn. Figure that Obama already had the majority of votes among Americans with passports — that's roughly 34 percent of Americans age 18 or older, according to the Economist. (In 2004, pollster James Zogby found that Americans with active passports preferred Kerry, while those without passports preferred Bush.)

Today, Obama is not polling as strongly as you would expect, given his media coronation. His European capitals tour probably did little to appeal to two-thirds of no-passport-required Americans who may not be all that impressed if the French and Germans go gaga for Obama.

While the speech went over big in Berlin, over time Obama's speeches seem notable for the irritating manner in which he straddles issues.

There are no rough edges in his stump rhetoric. While he has a way of seeming to be critical, he is always careful not to make a sharp point.

The speech was classic Obamaspeak: "In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth — that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe."

As usual, his words appear to be analytical, but probably that's because he comes to no specific conclusion. There is no straight talk on this jet.

Obama opposed the Bush surge of troops in Iraq, and to applause in Deutschland, he spoke against the war. He told the crowd what it wanted to hear.

Conversely, Obama has proposed a surge of U.S. troops in Afghanistan — a position that will require sacrifice from American troops who could use more help from abroad. Germany has sent more than 3,500 troops to Afghanistan, most of them essentially exempted from combat duty. Polls show that 85 percent of Germans object to sending more German troops into the southern part of Afghanistan — yet Chancellor Angela Merkel's government did send a German combat unit into that theatre this summer. Obama had a chance to praise Merkel and speak in support of sending 1,000 more German troops.

This is what he said: "The Afghan people need our troops and your troops, our support and your support, to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaida, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation."

Before the speech, the Washington Post reported that an aide had revealed Obama "will ask Europe to shoulder more of the burden to help deal with global security threats." I guess that was it.

OK, maybe Obama didn't want to come across as a "cowboy," but he didn't exactly come across as a leader either.

When Obama went overseas, he had the perfect platform to take on Western Europe's defense-light posture, but all he could mutter was, "Merci beaucoup."

E-mail Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@sfchronicle.com. To find out more about Debra J. Saunders, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.


Comments

4 Comments | Post Comment
Ma'am; I have to wonder what ever it might be that you are looking for in a president that Mr. Obama does not own. He is intelligent and almost white, and he can shoot three pointers. Seriously; Would you prefere that the Eruopeans hate our president so that he has little influence over those who most share our culture? Do you not understand that if we are to be a world power, and a player in world affairs that our president is their president whether they vote or not? My God! You right knights do everything possible to distort reality, or spin facts into oblivion to better rent the fabric of democracy; and you can't stand it that if the world had a vote they would elect anyone but Bush. When are you going to give us a vote free of propaganda, lies, and miscarriages of truth. The electorate needs to be informed. Purely and simply informed, because without the facts no one can choose correctly. But if the choice is between two parties neither of which allow the people one bit more of choice than they demand, then who cares? The blind minded can pull any lever and live with the consequences, and each election proves that fact better. Mybe we don't need a choice if the only choice we have is between politicians and parties. What we will always need is the facts of the matter, and a choice; to consent to the laws by which we are governed, or to reject them. We cannot control our destiny at long distance by sending people to do our bidding. We send them to be corrupted, and not to govern. We send them to be bought in the slave market of national immorality. No wonder the Germans want a choice. It is no more than we should want. If we only knew, we would want the democracy they have, but we must live with the one the Germans rejected. For them, democracy is not the cause for fear that it is to our rulers, and to our rich, but is how they achieve their common goals. When the Germans and the world Cheer for Obama it is because they see well what we can barely understand: that this country needs change, as do all societies, to stay youthful, and vital. We are dying for change, and dying for the want of change. And wouldn't it be so much better if we were the light of liberty unto the world? And how can that ever be when the sabotures of liberty hold sway, and shout so loudly?,,,, Thanks. Sweeney
Comment: #1
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Sun Jul 27, 2008 11:55 AM
Hey; did you hear that the fellow who shot up the church hated liberals? Isn't killing people just a wee step beyond hate? It is possible that all the hate set loose in the atmospher over the country for political gain comes to earth somewhere; but it could not possibly land on just one person, could it? Conservative, liberal, liberal conservative; what is a word to make men kill? And something more. when some lunatic goes off killing people why do they ask a reason. What need of a reason has some lunatic? If you are a lunatic, you justify lunacy. If you are reasonable you justify reason. So who needs a reason? If there is a danger of explosion, don't light a match. If people are worked up and frustrated, don't give them an excuse to focus their rage on the innocent . Some people are by nature liberal, and some by condition are conservative. We can't just go on about heaping hatred on each other. We have got to find our way through to a mutual solution. Do you see what I mean?
Comment: #2
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:58 AM
Why are you so-called conservatives, who are anything but, trying to cut off your noses to spite your faces? We actually have a candidate with a brain, just like Clinton, but without the baggage. Well, he is half African… .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
But real baggage he has not. He is basically clean, brilliant like we rarely see in the base game of politics, or anywhere else for that matter, and chomping at the bit. What more do you want? Can't you see how desperately this country with its rotting infrastructure is crying out for a Mr. Clean to fix it? ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
His only drawback is he isn't white. Sorry to say it, but are you really willing to forego just because he doesn't look white enough this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a president who is really smart and competent, without the sickness of Bill Clinton, to make us proud of being the United States again? ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
He knows how the price of milk affects us without having to read from a script, he can communicate with the many disenfranchised in this country and elsewhere who hate our guts, and he actually wants to make them understand that you and I are not the enemy. Why in the world are you trying to get in his way? ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Why are Republicans so proud of fielding candidates who spit on education and the language that reflects it so they can trash what has the maximum potential to make any country great? Wake up you fools, aren't you patriots? This is the United States! ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
He went to Harvard, you dopes. And he shined there better than everyone else in his class. He went to the best school in the world and distinguished himself. He was not an affirmative action rescue like Clarence Thomas. He was the real thing. Daddy didn't do it for him, like W's did. Daddy was dead, and he had no political influence anyway. Mommy didn't do it for him either. She just loved him, while she was alive. He made it on his own. Isn't that the American story? How many presidents have you heard of that can do that? ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
This guy can make us a great country again. All you have to do is embrace the fact that someone with African blood, who doesn't really care what his blood is because he has risen far beyond that pathetic formula, can teach us what we have been too dense to see right in front of our faces, and think us out of this fouled hole we've dug ourselves into. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Can you get over the fact that someone who is smarter than you and whose thought process you can't predict or pigeon-hole might be the guy who steers the ship? Perhaps if you understood how close your ship is to being the Titanic you might have some gratitude for the fact that a guy who is superior to you in just about every way has come along to save your sorry asses.
Comment: #3
Posted by: Masako
Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:07 PM
Re: Masako; Sir; Jethro Bodene would have a better chance of getting elected president than Mr. Obama if he were running. And the reason is the same as for the election of Mr. Bush. The people of this country have the great good sense to fear their government, and fear people more in the order which they appear most smart. When you deny a country education because the people have no political power to demand it, and then you deny them political power because they are uneducated, you are going to breed a population that is a skittish as sheep at a slaughter house, and as easily manipulated by their fears. Those people who can find a way to be edjufied, gradjiate with enough debt to buy a good sized house. Is there something in that situation that is bound to inspire philanthropy in the educated? They milk who will be milked, and the working people know that when they are badly used it is the educated who are doing it most of the time. Do you think there is some great love of Jews in the country of America? We laugh at their jokes and repect their religion, and we fear them like a tape worm, one inch at a time. Educated people should be a blessing to any society, but so long as we act like the only one who will benefit from an education is the individual educated, we will have to deal with the schhooled, and intelligent, treating us like their special prey. I know how the people feel here, and though we need some one competent enough to asses every risk, that one would be further ahead pretending to stupidity. Thanks, Sweeney
Comment: #4
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:32 PM
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