I have been awaiting this day with anticipation since reading Roger Cohen's Op-Ed "Obama's Message to Europe" in the July 7th New York Times. In fact, during the following lunch hour, I made sure to tell all of my coworkers about Obama's planned speech in Berlin. At one point, I managed discussed the event with my boss while on a field trip car ride. We covered all of the talking points, from the controversy surrounding the proposed venue of the Brandenburg Gate (the site of the famous JFK "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech), the main differences between Obama and McCain as candidates, and how renewable energy fit into the respective platforms.
When we came to the topic of foreign relations, I mentioned the American concern in Obama's youth compared to McCain's military background. My boss seemed confused on this subject, so I tried to explain how the two candidates have different approaches to foreign policy; Obama favors soft diplomatic efforts while McCain favors Military action, and that given our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, the issue was among the most important. But after this explanation, my boss still wore the appearance of confusion, and for a moment, I grew self conscious in my less than sufficient German skills. As if reading my momentary self doubt, my boss spoke up, saying "But Bush didn't have military or foreign policy experience either, right?"
I paused to think, I mean, he did manage to serve with the National Guard while others were in Vietnam. After deliberating, I offered the simple answer of, "No, not really, not like McCain." At this my boss took his eyes of the road, and replied with the Gem of all European-American discourse, "And you voted for Bush twice!"
This was not the first case that I encountered this assertion in Germany. Between my roommates, coworkers, and loose friends, Bush was not given much slack. He is viewed here as a poor diplomat, a terrible communicator, and ignorant on foreign policy. As you can imagine, when the trump card of "You elected Bush twice!" is played, little more than a shrug can be returned, and with that the conversation often ends.
Despite the dislike for Bush, every German that I have met holds a decent opinion of the US, especially when Barack Obama's name comes up. While the Germans don't know much about Obama, they respond well to his un-Bush characteristics and strengths. Tomorrow, Germany and all of Europe will have the opportunity to get to know Obama better.
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Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend Obama's speech in Berlin, but don't worry. My lack of attendance is no detterant whatsoever from preparing a great post on the event. I have managed to convince my friend Chris, a TREE intern working in Berlin, to write a guest column tomorrow and hopefully share some cool pictures, as he will be taking the day off from work to attend the speech.
In preparation for tomorrow's speech and First-Ever "One Sun, One Tree" Guest Column, I have decided to give a little bullet-point introduction to Obama's foreign policy tour.
Preview for tomorrow: What to expect
- Over the last seven days, Obama has reinforced the intent of his travels abroad. He is on a fact-finding mission in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a US representative in Europe. Obama and his staff have repeatedly stressed that they are not abroad to broker deals of any nature, saying, "The United States of America has one president at a time — that president is George W. Bush. Senator Obama will not be engaged in any way, shape or form policy-making.”
- That being said, Obama has the clear motivation to establish himself as a competent politician on foreign policy matters. So far he has done well. In Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, Obama has met with the political and military leaders of all of the involved parties, including Gen. David Petraeus, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, King Abdullah of Jordan, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abaas.
- In Berlin, we can expect Obama to address the importance of the European-American alliance. Nostalgic references to the Triumph of the West in the Cold War are widely speculated in the hopes of connecting past accomplishments with present and future challenges, like the coalition effort in Afghanistan and the need for greater cooperation in the entire Middle East.
- A showcase of some of Senator Obama's greatest strengths: oration that rivals the European beloved JFK in content and delivery, and the just-as-important listening skills that complete the great communicator package.
