The Obama Rainbow Tour -- Day 6 -- The German Tennis Match, um Speech, sorry

There you are, I told you so
Makes no difference where she goes
The whole world over just the same
Just listen to them call her name
And who would underestimate the actress now? 
Evita - Rainbow Tour

Okay, Somebody Had To Say It -- Was Obama Orating Or Watching Wimbledon?

Here is the transcript of the Obama Berlin speech

And here is the video.

"Just Hours After Obama's " Non-Political" Political Rally in Germany, His Campaign Finance Director Sends Out Solicitations for Donations, Citing His Non-Political Political Rally"

Are Obama's heavy handed actions causing an End of the Affair with the media?

To say that Europeans are fond of Barack Obama would be an understatement. It seems that he has reached the same level of adulation and worship as he has in the United States. So when asked who Europeans would prefer to see elected as the next US president, it is no surprise that citizens of France, Germany and the UK all chose Barack Obama ... by a landslide. In the UK, Obama was favored 60-15. In France, 64-4. And in Germany, they chose Barack Obama by a margin of 62-10 over John McCain. Frankly, I'm surprised that the numbers were this low.

Now if it were up to people like Barack Obama, the opinions of these foreign countries would matter. Remember Obama's thermostat comment ... "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK." What does it matter what other countries think about our habits? In fact, what business is it of our president? But the Europeans sure can't wait for this guy to be in power.

Now here's something that you won't hear from any of the networks when it comes to analyzing the European infatuation over Obama. Several months ago the Pew Research Center did some polling in Europe. That polling showed that 58 percent of Europeans want the United States to be weakened. They want a weaker America. Oddly, that 58 percent figure is pretty close to the margin for Obama. So how are you going to feel about European attitudes about our presidential election if you walk up to someone on the street and have this dialogue:

"Would you like the United States to be weaker or stronger."
"Weaker."
"Who do you support, then, for president?"
"Barack Obama"

Does anyone care to look into the motives behind this European love affair with The Messiah?

Neal Boortz

++ Paris Left Cold by Obama Visit ++
3:30 p.m.: While Obama’s Berlin visit has caused a stir, hardly anyone is interested in his trip to Paris on Friday. There are hardly any French media reports on the eve of his visit. There is merely some grumbling about the extensive itinerary for his trip to Berlin. “A speech in Berlin, five little hours in Paris,” writes French daily Le Monde.

Hot Air

Fox News poll: No bounce for Obama from trip, Maliki comments
Conducted Tuesday and Wednesday, three days after Maliki’s Spiegel interview dropped ... Head to head: Obama 41, McCain 40. On handling Iraq: McCain 47, Obama 39, a two-point gain since June. Maybe Obama’s position on the surge is starting to penetrate? There’s circumstantial evidence in the crosstabs. A quarter of independents and 15% of Democrats perceive “major improvements” in Iraq from the surge; many more see “minor improvements.” The fact that Obama’s popular with Europeans likewise is a wash. Democrats see it as positive, Republicans negative, and indies are split 26/25 — although people calling themselves “independents” these days are apt to include more disaffected Republicans so weigh that accordingly.

Hot Air

"Uh, it's a potentially bad thing if nobody shows up," Obama said, laughing. "You know, we're sort of on the high wire all of the sudden. It's like, 'I'm sorry, how many people does this accommodate? How many?'...We really have no idea what's going to happen. Sort of a crapshoot. I'm happy with the speech though."

A reporter noted that the campaign has been distributing fliers to Berliners to drum up attendance.

"Why don't you guys go out and distribute some fliers?" Obama asked. "Is that a conflict for you guys?"

Joked a cable news correspondent: "We have been. It's called television."

ABC

Afghan Troops: We got more thanks from the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than Barack Obama

McCain closing the gap? Update: Support for Iraq timetable decreases?

Reporters who have covered Obama’s biography or his problems with certain voter blocs have been challenged the most aggressively. “They’re terrified of people poking around Obama’s life,” one reporter says. “The whole Obama narrative is built around this narrative that Obama and David Axelrod built, and, like all stories, it’s not entirely true. So they have to be protective of the crown jewels.” Another reporter notes that, during the last year, Obama’s old friends and Harvard classmates were requested not to talk to the press without permission.

TNR

Yes, Obama, they worked together because they feared Soviet tanks. They got together because of Truman, who suffered the lowest popularity of any sitting president. They got together because they knew war would come if they redeployed U.S. troops. They got together despite how they could have used the money to pay for infrastructure back home.

They got together because the only other option was to surrender separately.

Germany could no more stand on its own in 1948 than Iraq can in 2008 — something that Obama wanted to do.

If anyone should look at Berlin, it is Democratic Sen. Barack Obama Jr.

Don Surber

Before adoring throngs in Berlin and the entire world's media, Barack Obama stated that "many planes were forced to turn back" from the Berlin Airlift because of the bad weather. Great imagery, but contrafactual.

Obama should have read my book before making his claim about the Berlin Airlift.   Barely a handful of the nearly 28,000 flights "turned back" in the face ir the cruel winter of 1948-1949.

Obama obviously has limited knowledge of the Airlift, and automatically assumes that the USAF would send up aircraft in prohibitively dangerous weather (it didn't) and that, once up, large numbers of pilots aborted their missions.

Ironically, just last month I contributed to an article in the German pub Flugzeug Classic on the US aircraft that went down in the Soviet Zone.

American Thinker Blog

WOLF BLITZER: Did you get a sense, Christiane, that he actually delivered with his presentation, with his speech, his appearance in Berlin? Did people walk away seemingly satisfied or disappointed?

AMANPOUR: Well, I don’t think they were disappointed, and I’m not sure that they were thoroughly satisfied. I did ask some people as they were leaving what they thought. Everybody said good, good. But I was surprised that there wasn’t this sort of euphoria afterwards, given how many people had come to listen and how much it had been anticipated.

Newsbusters

McCain camp: Obama taking a 'premature victory lap'

Rob posted earlier on Obama skipping out on visiting the troops: Obama Skips Visiting US Troops In Germany To Make Time For More Campaigning In Front Of Germans.
Patterico’s Pontifications points to what could be the real reason!

One military official who was working on the Obama visit said because political candidates are prohibited from using military installations as campaign backdrops, Obama’s representatives were told, “he could only bring two or three of his Senate staff member, no campaign officials or workers.” In addition,
“Obama could not bring any media.  Only military photographers would be permitted to record Obama’s visit.”

NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski

What a class act! He could visit wounded soldiers, but no one would see him do it! In Barack’s world, What’s the percentage in that?

Say Anything Blog

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said during a visit to Sderot Wednesday that "Israel should not talk to Hamas as long as it poses a threat to its citizens."

"If someone was to fire at my house, where my two daughters sleep, I would do everything within my power to stop him and I expect Israel to do the same," he said.

But that is not what he said about diplomacy.

OBAMA Lures Massive German Crowd With Rock Bands, Brats & Beer!

SS DOUTHAT: "Yes, of course the Hitler comparisons are absurd, but I'd really like to know which genius on the Obama campaign thought it would be a good idea to have their candidate conduct a major campaign rally in Europe with three months to go till the election and their candidate, despite an incredibly favorable climate and a fumbling opponent, still clinging to a 2-4 point lead in the polls?"

Now it's on to Paris, London, then home -- wonder if they'll throw a parade when he gets back?
DKK