“First-term mediocre senator” from Illinois indicts America on foreign soil

     
By JR Hoeft
Published July 25th, 2008  

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So, Barack Obama went to Berlin.

He called for socio-economic walls to be torn down. He called for hope. His rhetoric, as always, was soaring, but had very little substance.

But, perhaps most telling, was he took foreign policy disagreements that we have in the United States into the heart of a foreign land and stated that we, the United States, were to blame.

As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.

So, Americans shouldn’t drive? The Chinese, our largest trading partner, shouldn’t produce?

No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone.

The implication is that America has tried to go it alone. This despite the US hosting the UN and being the single largest contributor to the UN’s budget, in addition to 14 of 18 European countries supporting UN Resolution 1441 — the authorization to bring Saddam to justice.

And if we’re honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny.

How so and who is he speaking for or about? Have we had foreign policy disagreements with France, Germany and Spain? Sure. But who hasn’t? More importantly, though, why is he speaking as if Americans are of one voice on this subject?

I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.

Uh…what?!! Why is this paragraph even in this speech? This paragraph effectively says that America, while good-intentioned, is flawed. That is a statement of weakness and undermines our credibility. Why should other countries respect what we have to say? Why should America, if we are so flawed, lead? If this paragraph was delivered in Berlin, OH, it would be one thing; but it was delivered to a foreign audience, and instead of upholding the U.S. as a beacon of hope, he diminished us by calling us fallible.

That paragraph, right there, is exactly why Barack Obama cannot be the next president.

Write Side
also has an excellent take on this speech and links to other observations from more bloggers.

Not to mention this hilarious satire from Gerard Baker of the Times Online.

Comments

9 Responses to ““First-term mediocre senator” from Illinois indicts America on foreign soil”

  1. Brian KirwinNo Gravatar on July 25th, 2008 at 9:43 am

    He went to Germany and bashed the auto industry?

    He’s brilliant, isn’t he?

    “we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart”

    Yeah, it was called THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION!

  2. Jeremy HintonNo Gravatar on July 25th, 2008 at 10:25 am

    Now i remember why i like to stroll through the VA conservative blogosphere. Having a rough morning? Just seeing you guys get all worked into a tizzy over an Obama speech can sure bring a smile:

    Below The Beltway: From Our Be Careful What You Wish For Department

    Deo Vindice: Obama As the Great Black Hope

    Virginia Virtucon: Boring in Berlin: Barry O’s Latest Rhetorical Bomb

    Bearing Drift: “First-term mediocre senator” from Illinois indicts America on foreign soil

    I swear the right sometimes seem to hang more on Obama’s every word than the left!

  3. Brian KirwinNo Gravatar on July 25th, 2008 at 10:42 am

    hey…ya left out Reagan’s GOP

  4. J.R.No Gravatar on July 25th, 2008 at 11:26 am

    We figured we’d just follow the lead of MSM.

  5. Silence DogoodNo Gravatar on July 25th, 2008 at 4:39 pm

    In my blog I make the point that the germans are the same people who elected Hitler and love David Hasselhoff. And the French don’t get me started on them! http://road2serfdom.blogspot.com/

  6. RagnarNo Gravatar on July 26th, 2008 at 12:13 am

    Shhhhh don’t tell anyone, but America isn’t perfect. We’ve made a few mistakes… Nice to have a leader willing to admit that neither he nor our nation is faultless.

  7. Stephen GunterNo Gravatar on July 26th, 2008 at 10:48 pm

    Although I agree with you that we’re nowhere near perfect, Obama is far from a perfect leader himself. I’m of the opinion right now that when it comes to presidential candidates….

    http://www.werescrewed08.com

  8. The Obama Road Show - Blame America First on July 27th, 2008 at 4:01 am

    [...] Is this who we want as President? [...]

  9. Joel McDonaldNo Gravatar on July 28th, 2008 at 1:33 am

    I would argue that that paragraph is exactly what we need the next president saying. We need to be open about our mistakes as nation and show that we have every intention of improving. We are still attempting to continue the purpose of the constitution in forming a more perfect nation.

    The first step to correcting a problem is to admit that the problem exists in the first place.

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