When Was The Last Time McCain Acted Presidential?

It's funny, the more I see of Obama acting Presidential, the more skepticism about Obama is raised in the media.

In Berlin, Obama Urges Europe,
U.S. to Renew Their Alliance

By JAY SOLOMON and MIKE ESTERL
July 24, 2008 5:01 p.m.

BERLIN -- Sen. Barack Obama, seeking to burnish his image as a global statesman ahead of the U.S. presidential election, made an impassioned call for rejuvenated U.S.-European ties in a speech before an estimated 200,000 Germans in this city's historic downtown Tiergarten.

The Democrats' presumptive candidate drew on Washington's historic role in rebuilding post-World War II Berlin to call for an enhanced U.S.-European alliance to combat everything from a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan to the spread of nuclear weapons.

Reuters

Obama in Berlin

The Illinois lawmaker also sought to heal the trans-Atlantic rift fueled by President George W. Bush's 2003 invasion of Iraq by pledging a more humble and engaged American administration should he be elected in November.

"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," Sen. Obama said, his words generating perhaps the loudest applause during his 25-minute address. "But I also know how much I love America. ... What has always united us ... is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people."

Sen. Obama's speech, however, also hinted at some of the divisions that will likely continue to hinder U.S.-European relations, even if as president he were to pursue a more conciliatory line with Europe.

The massive crowd offered a muted response to Sen. Obama's call for Germany and other European nations to play a larger role in fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Those in attendance also showed guarded enthusiasm for the candidate's call for greater European involvement in international efforts to combat Iran's nuclear program.

"He brings hope," said Manfred Brüss, a 60-year-old German who received powdered milk from American servicemen as a child in 1948. But "we Germans think we're doing enough," he added, citing the role of German peacekeepers in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon and elsewhere.

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Some in the crowd said the sometimes-flat response to Sen. Obama's oratory was driven by poor acoustics and the lack of a simultaneous translation into German. Some complained that it felt like a campaign event. But most seemed thrilled to engage a politician already deemed a "superstar" in German magazines ahead of Thursday's performance.

Sen. Obama confidently walked onto a stage at the foot of Berlin's Victory Column to intermittent chants of "Obama, Obama, Obama." Some in the crowd compared the event, accompanied by vendors selling bratwurst and beer, to the music and sporting events that often take place in the Tiergarten.

"A lot of Germans think he can save us," said Andrea Loehr, a 29-year-old American studies major from Berlin. "People want to see the change."

A spokesman for the Berlin police estimated the crowd size at 200,000. That's more than twice the size of Mr. Obama's biggest rally in the U.S. to date, which was 75,000.

Germany remains tentative about dropping its post-World War II reluctance to engage in a muscular foreign policy. Its 3,500 troops in Afghanistan are based in the north of the country, away from the worst of the fighting. Polls indicate about two-thirds of Germans don't want their army in Afghanistan at all --something that German politicians are acutely aware of ahead of their own general elections next year.

Sen. Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier Thursday, but a spokesman for the leader would only say the encounter was "a very open and detailed discussion in a very good atmosphere." Topics included Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East peace process, in addition to trade, climate, energy and the global economy, the spokesman added in an email.

Associated Press

Sen. Obama spoke in front of the Tiergarten's 225-foot high Victory Column.

Analysts and politicians in Europe also question whether Sen. Obama would be a fit when it comes to trade, where the candidate adopted a protectionist posture during the Democratic primaries. Germany's economy in particular is highly geared toward exports.

Relations between the U.S. and Europe have already improved enormously during Mr. Bush's second term -- after a near-divorce during the first -- as Mr. Bush has become more willing to consult with allies. Europe's changing political landscape also has played a role, as the generation of leaders that clashed with Mr. Bush over the Iraq war has been replaced, mostly by fellow conservatives.

Ms. Merkel, a conservative, has worked hard to mend ties with Washington since replacing former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in late 2005. In France, former President Jacques Chirac has been replaced by Nicolas Sarkozy, while Italy recently returned Silvio Berlusconi, a close Bush ally, to power.

Eckhart von Klaeden, a member of Ms. Merkel's Christian Democrats on the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, described German-U.S. relations as already "very good," adding that Mr. Obama's Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain enjoys a lot of respect among his party colleagues. At the same time, he suggested it's a little early to join the public "euphoria" in Germany about Mr. Obama's candidacy. "It's wait and see," he said.

Associated Press

Sen. Barack Obama waved as he arrived at the Victory Column in Berlin Thursday.

Still, polls in Europe suggest Mr. Obama is dramatically more popular than Mr. McCain, who many Europeans believe would not bring as much change to U.S. policy. The Republican candidate sought out his own German stage Thursday, at Schmidt's Restaurant und Sausage Haus in Columbus, Ohio. "Well, I'd love to give a speech in Germany. ... But I would much prefer to do it as president of the United States," he told reporters.

Mr. Obama will make shorter stops -- and give no big public speeches -- in France and the U.K. on Friday and Saturday. He will meet with President Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in Paris, and the two will hold a joint news conference later in the day. Since his election in May 2007, Mr. Sarkozy has met with Sen. McCain twice, according to the Elysee Palace.

While Mr. Obama is well known in the U.K., where the primaries made daily front-page news, his visit to London has generated less publicity here, where the country is focused on the plunging fortunes of its own leader Prime Minister Gordon Brown. No joint press conference is planned in London after Mr. Obama meets with Mr. Brown because Mr. Brown did not hold one when Mr. McCain visited recently, according to a spokesman for the British leader.