David Broder says that ‘July has been a cruel month for McCain.’ If Obama gives a good speech in Berlin today, July will get just a little bit crueler. The New York Times, Spiegel, and Time all have coverage of Obama’s appearance.
Although the Kennedy name is almost inevitably invoked whenever Barack Obama is mentioned in the German media, there is more to his popularity. The cover of the current issue of Zitty, a local Berlin magazine, shows a photo of Obama accompanied by the headline “I’m black and that’s a good thing” — a reference to Berlin’s openly gay mayor, Klaus Wowereit, who strongly supported Obama’s request to speak at the Brandenburg Gate and had once publicly announced, “I’m gay and that’s a good thing.” Jarring as that headline may be, it partly explains why Obama is likely to receive the warmest welcome given to any senior American politician in Berlin since Kennedy visited in 1963 and made his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech.
His speech will begin around 1:15pm Eastern Time.
Update [2008-7-24 14:1:3 by BooMan]: Here’s the transcript. So…what’d you think?
Chancellor Angela Merkelsays she won’t resist a back rub:
there’s some sexually charged undertones in that which is kind of amusing. I wonder if something is lost in translation. Saying that he is well-equipped physically is probably not the same in the original German.
my german ain’t that good so I won’t touch that one…given collateral cultural overtones…Hmmmm. eh? physicallly welll-equiped could be handsome but then the conversation went on to massage that she wouldn’t resist.
OK, I promised not to go there.
I’m amused at the planning of Obama’s overseas tour. Lot’s of detailed planning for symbolism and substance -maximised for back home coverage and a 3:1 bang for the buck in terms of free publicity: Case in point:
Go take a look – send McCain and the RNC some facial tissues
Spiegel Online has a Live Ticker (minute by minute blogging – just about) –
Obama Calls Berlin a ‘Symbol of the Victory of Hope’
So many ways to parse that. Does “physically equipped” mean
-healthy in general (and does that mean he’s a young man vs. McCain)
-stamina for a demanding job
-or strapping and packing (and if she didn’t mean that, then maybe mentioning that she wouldn’t mind a backrub–ew!–wasn’t a great idea).
I just don’t know. I’ve got some German friends–I think I’ll ask for their opinion on that.
ask them if ‘equipment’ is a code-word for family jewels in German.
Sure thing.
in some English speaking cultures you don’t need a German translation…nor a lesson in the nature of things.
In the context of the conversation, the direct question that followed: a man being described “well-equipped physically” …followed by “I won’t resist [a back-rub]”..
Merkel is one down to earth lady. But I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt – she meant to say ‘tall and handsome’
OK, that’s also a descriptive in the same vein. let’s leave this alone.
AP, go ahead…. ask your German friend.
See ya.
Can anyone point me to the original German text? Is it embedded in any of the above links? That would be so helpful! Thanks!!!
only the Reuters news service would have it.
She is simply complementing him. She is not taking off his clothing.
She is a woman of the world. When she goes to the opera, she wears a gown with a plunging neckline, and is not ashamed of her physical person.
I took it to be a comment on McCain’s relative dodderhood without making an overtly partisan comment.
And she didn’t bring up the backrub thing, it was asked by some moron “journalist”, as I understand it.
the quote cited is quite clear. no one within this thread claimed Merkel brought up the back rub.
He’s HEALTHY, not old and pink and wheezy.
He’s HAPPY, and confident and generous.
He’s LEADING, with competence, vision and results.
.
Deutsche Welle – Obama Meets German Leaders Before Major Speech
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."via TPM: Full text of Obama’s speech
Obama’s speech in nanoblog form.
In the interest of equal time….CNN is covering McCain’s press conference at a sausage house in Ohio.
…and he’s being upstaged by a windchime.
I bet there is a cuckoo clock in there somewhere too…
there’s something about McCain’s schedulers. They seem to be kings of inadvertent negative symbolism.
sausage is what his campaign is making…an exercise you don’t want to watch.
McCain: “Ich bin ein wurst.”
LOL…and I think the lederhosen are best suited for a younger man.
McCain can’t catch a break…. He would be prohibited from using “McCain’s” to brand those sausages. That’s already been trademarked.
Maybe Cindy’s and a bud?
Currently appearing at Schmidt’s Sausage Haus are Schnickelfritz and Sneezin’ & Wheezin’….
Confident going forawrd:
Ambinder: Obama Team Begins Work On Presidential Transition
As with his conduct in Afghanistan and Iraq, he’s given me hope.
I just wish when he comes home he puts a figurative fist in McCain’s face about all the screwups that have gone on while he was gone.
I also would like to see the MSM take one in the face for backbiting him for his popularity overseas. They parroted the McCain line about not going overseas, hounding him to go, so he went. Now they’re unhappy with the results and are dropping negative spin? Damn.
I thought the speech was good. Keeping in his campaign frame, even though he opened saying he’s not there as “a presidential candidate, but as a citizen of the world”. The only downfall, was the odd hopscotch, terrorism, free trade for a hot minute, back to terrorism.
I really appreciate Obama’s skill at writing. He or his speech writer really understands the tools of the rhetoritician – repetition, pacing, patterns, and the soaring result of simple words well coordinated.
I am sure that this fine speech was even better coming from Obama’s mouth.
I saw a profile of one of his main speechwriters and he was just a kid! Really, like 24 years old.
Link
Pretty speeches are nice and all, but talk is cheap.
are you channeling Hillary now?
Hillary has nothing to do with it, BooMan. I was even less a fan of Hillary than I am of Obama. I am just not impressed by pretty speeches outside of the theatrical stage, and never have been.
David Broder, John McCain got the week he earned. And it’s only the beginning. No matter if he loses the presumption to a surprise (oh, say, Colin Powell…) there is nothing under the curtain and no clothes in the closet. There is no reason, John McCain, to get snippy for being shown to be what you are.
Those who put magic-realism on your words are sadder than you are; if they understood what you meant and accept it, if they fawn and coo at the performance of having wisdom, not the fact of wisdom, if they drool for their hoped-for bennies, if they scheme for the place at table, they join the losers, and are lead by the loser.
Someone please do a parody-musical of the entire campaign to thrust crusty McCain up on Swagger McBushy’s throne; such a wealth of material.
sorry: forgot to add– OBAMA 44 *