LiveBlogging Berlin

True progress requires constant work....requires allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other, and most of all, trust each other.

 

 

Getting loudest cheers for "finally end this war in Iraq" and "reduce US carbon emissions" 

KD

The two passages that struck me most:

Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe?  Will we give meaning to the words “never again” in Darfur?

Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world?  Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law?  Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don’t look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?

. . .

But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived – at great cost and great sacrifice – to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world.  Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom – indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us – what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America’s shores – is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.

KD

I think he just set the tone for 21st century politics with that opening statement.

Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen - a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.

It's been a long time since any serious political leader held that as a goal. That got a good response from the crowd. He did a good job of affirming the best of America, admitting our mistakes, and promising to repair America's role in the world.

My favorite part was when he talked about tearing down the walls that separate peoples and specifically cited the wall between "natives and immigrants".  That got a huge applause and was classic Obama. This speech challenged the European people to get over their xenophobia and basically said that if we want to defeat extremism, we have to open up civilization to the east.

 

Super sweet.

Barack struck just the right note overall. Excellent balance.

The two previous speeches in Berlin had a momentum of focused current events. This was not as obvious today until Obama wove events and the future from this moment in time together to call the world to a different point of view. I think it succeeded and as is so often the case he doesn't let the call to action depend on future results. It is a call in this moment and it will stand somewhat on its own, separate from electoral politics.

One of his most admirable qualities.

I wonder why there was no interpreter to put the speech into German for the crowd. Maybe there were displayed subtitles or "sur-titles," I think I've seen them called? I've heard that "Germans all know English," but still, seems a translation would be polite.

[edit: (The speech itself was moving to me and brought tears to my eyes. I thought it was great. I don't want anyone to think I'm complaining, just curious about translation.)]

Usually a lurker and slightly off topic, (apologies), but did anyone else just see the CNN footage of McCain giving a press avail in front of the german restaurant? (Counter programming!)  There would have been nothing at all remarkable about it except for the fact that there happened to be some wind chimes nearby and they played a prominent role in the background.  At times, it's difficult to hear McCain as they drown him out with their somehow soothing clanging.  The CNN anchor actually apologized afterward. 

If this contrasts were apparent earlier this week between Obama/Patreus and McCain/GHWB in the golf cart, they are glaringly obvious today.

Look for it on CNN, sit back, and enjoy...

 

Unlike here, we are so dumb when it comes to opening ourselves to other languages!

Es ist wundervoll to see Obama in front of that crowd. The global perspective is most welcomed!

I stopped everything here in my office to watch and record...Wow!  Although I know where Al's coming from on the "heroin in our streets" comments, we know who the audience for that comment was!  Plus, he mentioned it today and has mentioned it before, one of the big reasons why young kids sign up for terror-duty is poverty; the people in Afghanistan grow and sell poppies because there's a huge world-wide market.

But I loved the reception he received and that he was speaking not only to America but to the world.  I liked the way he said things that must be done--by all of us worldwide--without sounding paternalist.

Loved the "citizen of the world" symbolism, too.

I don't watch Faux News, but a McShame surrogate on MSNBC tried to say that same old line about the surge and that America wants a C-in-C, not a celebrity.  Lame, so lame.

It will be so wonderful to have an A+ President loved by us and the world.

 

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

 

"moral equivalency Obama drew between terrorists and poppy growing farmers in Afghanistan (for whom he used the drug-warrior language of "traffickers putting heroin on our streets")"

Obama did not say Opium farmers or growers; he said "traffickers" which means those who are buying, processing and selling the Heroin – those who profit and are using the big bucks for war on the people – all the people of Afghanistan and the world.

I really hope Obama has the sense to push for legalizing marijuana - which would certainly help solve the prison problem among others, and lets the "war on drugs" wither from lack of funds.

What a whiner!  McCain's comment on Obama's Berlin speech...nothing but attacks...he even said something very HRC-ish...(paraphrased)...while McCain has spent his life working for America, Obama talked about it for an afternoon...

Who wants such a doom-and-gloom downer-of-the-day person for President?

Complain, complain, complain!  Yuck!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

 

It says on the Page that Rush Limbaugh played the first part of it on his show today, wow. That's a huge audience to actually directly hear Obama's words that doesn't ususally hear him; and it's a good message that I don't think is easy to tear down. The folks at The Cornor are reduced to saying he's being pre-mature and acting like a president when he isn't one, lol. Would that McCain had that problem, I bet they'd be so happy, lol.

from here:

"Somewhere between Baghdad and Berlin Barack Obama has become the incumbent."

Here's a link. Goodie. Now I can watch. (Didn't tune into live feeds.)

Susan - Senator Clinton lost the Democratic nomination in large part because she ran as the incumbent during a "change" election year.

That's not the message by which Obama needs to position himself if he wants to win. The incumbency has to be McCain's: he owns the war, he and his party own the economic strife in the US, and Obama thus has to continue positioning as the insurgent challenger to a failed administration. The "incumbent" label can only hurt him in that regard.

The speach was also broadcast here in Denmark in full length without any attempts to provide a translation or subtitle. Those who are interested in a speech by Obama will overwhelmingly know English well.

There were a few part of the speech - in particular in the middel section where I though that it must be hard to follow in a big crowd and where Obama also seemed to loose the cobtact somewhat.

But the beginning and end were masterpieces.

Preliminary press reaction here on our largest newscast: "Speech was a stunning succes for Obama".

I was a speech that we can not wait to have repeated once Obama *hopefully* is president.

I totally agree with Al...he is NOT the incumbent, he is NOT inevitable, he is the "newcomer" and "underdog"...

All the problems we have now belong to McBush...he/they are the incumbents!

I am worried that the arrogant and inevitable memes don't take hold; it's already out that Obama has a "transition team" already in place...not good...

But he sure does LOOK presidential!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

 

Some are already criticizing Obama for calling himself a citizen of the world.  What a stupid thing to criticize.  We live in a global age.  The idea that somehow national affiliation should be some kind wedge between people is so Cold War.  My favorite critique was that, "you can't be a citizen of the world because the world is not a polity."  Talk about a swing and a miss.  These guys just have nothing to attack him for.

My thoughts exactly when I heard the speech...

We are in a global economy and what happens "over there" affects us "over here" and vice-versa...we already have an "you're either with us or against us" meme from the current White House occupant, and we see where that got us...

Al, I hope I don't get it trouble for saying this, but McShameful and his minions are just downright pitiful...talk about looking backward when everyone else wants to move forward...

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

 

In the meantime, on a fundraiser on a german restaurant in the US, McCain is denouncing Obama for campaigning internationally... just a while after he denounced Obama for not going internationally. What the hell.

Al, I get your point. I didn't take it with all the trappings of quote, incumbency, unquote (to use a McCainian habit of speech) so much as his coming across and presidential and with gravitas. And, therefore, A Very Good Thing.

Pamela, speaking of being the underdog, I see from this Jonathan Martin post that Blogs for McCain is planning to do a moneybomb to McCain in recognition of the anniversary of his promotion in the Navy (in 1979); they're calling it Bravo Zulu ("well done"). The date: August 1.

I think it'd be good to start a whisper campaign of our own "If you were sorta thinking about donating the Obama, the day to do it would be August 1" -- even though that tends to fall the day after the end of the month (which has its own big push). If there's a huge Aug 1 take for the Obama campaign, that'd help take wind out of McCain's sails, and rob them of the Big News Cycle value.

Thoughts?

Susan - Interesting that the McCain campaign wants to do the money bomb on August 1. That's clearly aimed at shifting as much $ as possible into August so that on September 1, when the Republican National Convention begins, they will have the highest possible fundraising numbers to announce after what will surely be a July defeat in the fundraising primary (for which the FEC filings are due on August 20).

Those are my only thoughts on that.

I had to catch the replay of this, because 7 p.m. German time, is like 2 a.m. here.  I thought it was a great speech, in which Obama sent a clear message for the goals his administration would have for the world. 

However, what got my biggest reaction was not Obama's words, or even Obama at all; it was that every time they panned the crowd, I kept thinking to myself: Wow, how nice it is to see hundreds of thousands of Europeans waving American flags rather than burning them.  I think the imagery alone, is worth a lot to the Obama campaign.  The sight of that many Europeans waving the American flag is huge.  I think if you compare that against the imagery from any McCain event, it leaves an impression in the mind of Americans, and a clear indication of who can get the United States back on track, and towards a more prosperous future, in an increasingly global environment.

 

I'm sorry but you will have to educate me. When was the last time that flags were burned by Europeans other than by a few fringe elements?

Don't buy the "everybody hates the US in Europe" - nearly everybody disdain President Bush here (not very different from the US) but the US as such still stirs great passions and hopes here.

Obama helped make that overwhelmingly clear to night. BTW Bill Clinton would also be able to attract huge crowds in Europe - but Bush has to hide... and McCain didn't want to find out so he went to Colombia...

(so he is now opposed to campaigning abroad after doing it and encouraging Obama to do it - go figure).

 

Claus,

 

  Thank you for your reply.  I am not saying the majority of Europeans burn the American flag, but that minority of those that do, get airplay in the US media.  Those images are seen often on television, and as of late an opportunity to see foreigners wave the American flag has been few compared to that of seeing it protested in the media.  That is what my statement was about. 

 

 I am an American who has lived overseas for the past 7 years.  I have been overseas almost the entire Bush administration, and have seen first-hand the reputation of America and American politics decline.  My comment was just to express my joy in seeing that reputation begin to shift back to what I think it should be.  The negative images have far outweighed the positive ones in the media for several years, with regard to American policy, and I am just happy to see something positive in the media for a change.  Again thanks for the response.

 

@ Joshua and Claus...just about everywhere Bush has gone in the last several years he's been booed and burned in effigy, so much so that when he went to that Slovak country (I'm sorry I forgot which one), it was a big deal that he wasn't booed.

@ Susan...Aug 1 doesn't count..August FOURTH is the O-man's birthday!  One of the things we (meaning Obama supporters) can do is make this the best birthday he's had in a long time!

@ everyone...this really just happened...a Repub TV head just said that it was wrong for Obama to go to Germany and give a speech about the world coming together and saying America made mistakes but is always trying to do better.  But then he said that it was OK that McCain gave a speech in Canada because--get this--Canada is on the same continent as the USA!  No, really, he said that!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

 

Waterprise, thanks. I had vague recollection that there was an early August fundraising event coming up. Aug 4 is much better. It also has the challenge of "can you top this?" after the Aug 1 event.

I just wrote a DailyKos diary about all the past presidents who used the term Citizen of the World. Let's nip any of that pushback in the bud. Goes back to Calvin Coolidge! SRSLY. Check it!

I heard that loopy commentary too about why it was bad for Obama to give a speech in Berlin instead of, say, Canada, like McCain.  Ronald Reagan laughed out loud at the "continent" line.

 I had never seen or heard Heather Wilson before.  Did anyone catch her tonight?  She had an obnoxious demeanor, smiling and laughing while slamming Obama.  The criticisms have been stunningly stupid and transparent.  And not that anyone cares much what gets said on Fox, the comparison of Obama to Mussolini because of crowd appeal was jaw-dropping.

It's only July, but truly, the McCain campaign has been awful on every  level.  Wonkette had a hysterically funny piece on the comparisons last night.

 

http://wonkette.com/401380/mccain-tricks-obama-into-massive-global-win#m...

@Susan

Great post at Kos... will be spreading it around. Thank you!

Every so often Australia and the USA end up in arguments - one of those arguments is Australia’s response to the US led so called ‘War on Drugs’. Arising from Australia’s enlightened response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, public health policy here is focussed on ‘harm minimalisation’ (broad education, condom distribution and dispensing, needle exchange programs, injecting drug rooms ...).

In the island State of Tasmania we produce a great quantity of the world’s medical opiates. When Australia isn’t toeing the American line on drugs, the US threatens, through global organisations, to withdraw Tasmania’s ‘licence’ to produce these necessary medicines.

For the good of the World, why can’t Afghanistan (as it produces the best quality opiates) be declared and ‘licenced’ as the world’s primary source of medical opiates? Afghani growers could receive a fair price for their labours and the traffickers would be ‘cut out’ of the business. This could also reduce the cost of such medicines globally whilst giving a measure of security in a very troubled corner of our world.

BondiBeachViews

McCain has upped the ante here.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/07/mccain-ups-the-ante.php

I recommend it for a light hearted fun at JM's expense.

amk

Joshua, Pamela

My fingers just flew to the keyboard when I saw Joshuas comment. After a brief visit to Kos it seems to be a more widespread idea that the US is somehow loathed by Europeans.

That stunned me and stills does because it is so far removed from my own reality.

But I am now even happier for the Obama campaigns decision to stage a big speech in Europe since it did show (in my opinion) that the criticism of the US is to a large extent tied to Bush and his policies and not to the US in general.

To avoid taking up too much space here I have penned a commentary on Kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/25/43345/5240?new=true

 

 

Sorry I didn't have time late last night (early this morning) to post a link to the photos I took at the event.  You can find them on DailyKos.

TexanInParis
http://texaninparis.dailykos.com/
http://www.americans-away-from-home.com/blog/2

 

Michael, re: For the good of the World, why can’t Afghanistan (as it produces the best quality opiates) be declared and ‘licenced’ as the world’s primary source of medical opiates?

 

Why not just legalize opium? And some of the related derivatives. Isn't codeine available over the counter in Canada? I don't recall ever reading about the Chinese men - who worked on the railroads in the USA way back when - dropping like flies, or wreaking havoc on society, because they enjoyed their opium. Were mobs of people walking around like zombies, or acting like the crazed sociopaths in the movie "Reefer Madness", when folks could buy a bottle of laudanum without a prescription?

 

Why not legalize it, I'll ask again? Legalizing opium is bulky, and legalizing, or possibly even decriminalizing,  would mean less incentive for refining it into heroin. Heroin  is much easier to smuggle, and is far more addictive in many meanings of the word, not the least of which ( in the biophysiological meaning),  is the  tendency for heroin to rapidly accelerate the phenomena of tolerance for opiates, which means the opiate user consumes more and more to achieve the desired effect. Oh we can't have opium legalized, or even decriminalized, that would cause problems for the prison-industrial complex, money laundering rackateers, black-ops financing schemes, and offshore account related retirement plans for the people who do  dirty work for big oil, etc., etc. And I am just getting started...but I am going to stop, its past my bedtime.

I liked your DKos diary.  I will have to register so I can start recommending more of those.  I was watching The Daily Show this evening, it is a day late because of the slowness of ITunes uploading, but in his segment on Obama's trip, he makes a similar statement as well.  Here is the URL in case you want to add it to your Kos diary as an example of those statements:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=177449&title=obama-quest-berlin-speech

 

 

...in any meaningful concentration.

G @5:43 asks "Isn't codeine available over the counter in Canada?"

I think there is a formulation of Acetaminophen (Tylenol) with a touch of codeine in it available over the counter, but it is really a gimick, not enough codeine to translate into amount that really outperforms a higher dose of Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen for pain relief.  More importantly, there isn't enough in a bottle to get enough codeine to get high on (except MAYBE unless you had never had codeine ever before).  There is also a touch of codeine in some over the counter cough medicines - not enough to really work, but enough to name it as an ingredient and therefore as a gimmick.

We're progressive in Canada, but not that progressive.  We can leave the safety of over-the-counter morphine for another discussion, maybe.

I'm a family doc - just want to keep the facts clear.

Joel. Yes, 222s is one name for the OTC analgesics, or was last time I heard. It is actually dangerous for somebody to try to get high on them if they have any tolerance, because of what the acetaminophen can do to the liver. Unlike the opiates, which have a relatively low toxicology profile compared to acetaminophen, and alcohol. That is, if one is getting reliable doses that  make overdosing less likely, something that can be depended on when purchasing substances like heroin on the street. But for somebody who pops a few 222s on occasion (making tolerance less likely)?  For certain kinds of discomfort, there's likely a synergistic effect when mixed with acetaminophen or NSAIDs. Anyway, facts are straight, it is still codeine, and still OTC in Canada. I wasn't trying to imply that codeine is sold pure in a liquid base  :D

Buprenorphine might be preferable to morphine over-the-counter perhaps, as it has both  agonist and antagonist properties. Heroin, IIRC, was actually available OTC at one time in the US, I think under the Bayer brand. I think it was supposed to help cure  morphine addiction, haha.

 

But back to the laudanum (tincture of opium). Gee, according to wikipedia, "political figures who used the drug included George Washington, Patrick Henry, William Wilberforce and Meriwether Lewis".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laudanum

Well George Washington had health problems, including problems with his teeth, maybe it helped with dental pain, which we know can be seriously painful. Wonder what he would think if he had to jump through all the hoops one has to go through today, when he had a  really bad toothache that NSAIDs (at least the OTC versions) can't touch. Or maybe if  he just wanted some to get a buzz?  During his time, I don't think such indulgences carried the same social stigma that they do today. Back then, behaving like a drunken slob probably resulted in  social consequences more so then being high on some laudanum.  It is reputed that George Washington grew marijuana for medicinal purposes as well.

 

 

I am not a doctor of course, but a few doctors I've known wondered why I didn't pursue a career in pharmacology, since I could tell them things off the top of my head that they needed their PDR to confirm.

 

After all this time, I finally got to actually watch Obama's speech in Berlin (isn't YouTube and all the other great video banks a life changer? Especially when boycotting Teevee, but even if I had one).

Anyway, for me the money quote was towards the end (I stop a bit before, but go ahead and read the whole thing:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamaroadblog/gGxyd4

 

I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived – at great cost and great sacrifice – to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom – indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us – what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America’s shores – is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.

These are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. ...

All this talk of right, left and center wholly misses the point. Diversity is key and what the Republicans don't understand, and I'm afraid to say sometimes, many Democrats and other people.

 

We need progressive policies, but if you think that there is an ideological litmus test well, think again. We need to dialogue amongst ourselves, with those who don't agree with us, with people of all backgrounds and languages, educational backgrounds.

 

Always trying to seek the truth, but listening to others can only help.

Yes we can make things better, and we need to build the largest coalition possible to ensure that we move forward, and not back.

 

Now let's get out and register some more voters!