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.
