Posted on 07/20/2008 11:41:22 AM PDT by Kaslin
Barack Obama's campaign said Sunday he will give a speech on the future of trans-Atlantic relations in front of a Prussian war monument in downtown Berlin _ in view of the historic Brandenburg Gate.
The announcement that he will speak at the Victory Column, or Siegessaeule, ended weeks of speculation here. It also triggered criticism that the 226-foot column built in 1873 to celebrate Prussian war victories over Denmark, Austria and France was an inappropriate choice.
One of Berlin's best-known monuments, the column is topped by a golden, winged figure representing Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory. It stood in front of Germany's parliament building, the Reichstag, until the late 1930s when Adolf Hitler's architect Albert Speer moved it to its current location in the middle of the Tiergarten park as part of uncompleted plans for a grandiose remake of the capital.
"I ask myself whether Obama was well advised to choose the Siegessaeule as a place for a speech on his vision for global cooperation," Rainer Bruederle of the opposition Free Democrats was quoted as telling the Bild am Sonntag weekly.
Since German reunification, the column has become known as the central location for Berliners to party.
At the other end, about a mile away, is Pariser Platz square and the Brandenburg Gate. Obama had wanted to give the speech there, but Chancellor Angela Merkel quashed the idea.
She defended her criticism of that location on Sunday, telling ARD television that the Brandenburg Gate _ the backdrop for speeches by Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton _ is linked to U.S. presidents.
"If the candidate _ or any other candidate _ is elected, then (he) is welcome to speak as president before the Brandenburg Gate," Merkel said, indicating that Obama's Republican rival for the presidency, Sen. John McCain, would be equally welcome.
Merkel declined, however, to comment on the Siegessaeule, saying only that "the team has made its decision and that will be approved and now we will take this location for what it is."
Obama was in Afghanistan on Sunday as part of a tour abroad that also will take him to Iraq and the Middle East. After speaking in Berlin on Thursday he is to visit France and England.
Hussein better watch it...The European vote is very important in the US elections.../s
Returning to his intellectual roots, eh? He wants to give us Bismarck-style ‘health care’, organize all sorts of government sponsored ‘Corps’ to extend the reach of the federal government into everyone’s daily life, and is running a campaign based on style that feels like an updated downscale version of stuff Speer and Riefenstahl would have come up with.
Wonderfully appropriate site for an Obama speech.
Obama arrogance at work once again.
This is a great perspective on Obama’s hubris for speaking at the Gate:
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=301182809264805
Stop, he will speak NEAR (1/2 mile) not AT the Brandenburg Gate.
Think many Germans will see (have already seen?) right through him.
obama needs to fire his “ideas” man.
I think B.Hussein might have blown it when he failed to “address” the NutRoots Nation get together.
“Heil Obama!”
That must be Reggie Love, his so called 24 hr/7 day “Butler and Handmaiden” so to speak. Yep a quality aide, just check out the drunken porno pics of Reggie Love on the Internet. Another “positive” image of HUSSEIN’s judgment(NOT!).
Remember when the MSM had a photo of Jenna Bush failing down and called her drunk? This is Obama’s ‘right hand man’ obviously drunk. Where are the magazine articles about that?!
An amusing tidbit here:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11886.html
~snip~
The campaign received 200 requests for press seats on the plane.
Among those for whom there was no room was Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent of The New Yorker. The campaign, which was furious about the magazine’s satirical cover this week, cited space constraints in turning him away.
~snip~
I wonder if he stocked up on Obama’s choice of snacks before leaving. /s
He knows that “the boss,” as he calls Mr. Obama, likes MET-Rx chocolate roasted-peanut protein bars and bottles of a hard-to-find organic brew — Black Forest Berry Honest Tea. He keeps a supply of both on hand.
On a similar note, the news channels were all gushing and worshiping him last night. Tonight, I am (blsiifully) not hearing a peep about him.
I can't help but wonder if their failed Maliki flap has got them a little flummoxed for the moment.
Ich bin ein Weiner.
UnExperienced, UnQualified & UnAmerican
I'm pretty sure he doesn't even deserve to be that close.
Der Obamaführer will declare himself to be a jelly donut.
Ich bin ein flip-flopper.
He's gonna claim he's from Vienna? (switch the i and e and it works, otherwise you're talking about a city in Arkansas)
Since we already know he will speak at the astoundingly ugly Siegessaeule and it is nowhwere near the Brandenburg Gate, the article is kind of out of touch.
I think that Obama should speak at the reviewing platform on Red Square. Putin and Obama like each other, so I am quite sure that this could be arranged.
perhaps Barry could give a little “speechify’in” at Hitler’s grave
sh*t! , .. most tourists that know how to probe , without being offensive , can be steered to The Parking Area {{*snicker*}}
...but he’s not an Oscar Meyer.
If one could create an image on the web (I can’t).
1. Obama presidential seal replaces winged angel on column top.
2. Obama at base wearing a Prussian helmet ,
The reason it's 226 feet tall is because Hitler and the Nazis had a special affection for the monument, and increased the size of it to make it more grandiose.
But Obama likes grandiose.
Krauthammer nailed it when he said Obama's only accomplishments are the two books he wrote about his favorite subject ----himself.
Ich bin ein kartoffelsalat!
With 300 foreign policy advisors, you’d think Obambi could avoid dopey mistakes like this. Maybe he needs 3,000 advisors.
As Ron White would say: “Sie rufen mich ‘toffelsalat an”
My wife tells me the victory column (Siegessaeule) is also the local gay pride symbol.
Hopefully alot of Freepers will read and send to and educate their friends on the sheer immorality and disgusting character of this alleged nominee to the highest office in the land!
Its at the very opposite end of the Boulevarde, more than 1 and 1/2 miles away, couldn’t get much further away from the gate, and the location is where everyone gets together, gets drunk and parties, hardly a location for a serious speaking venue. The Berlin Train Station or the Berlin City Dump would be a more significant Location:-P
I heard the City Pothole Commisar will be having a power dinner with Obie Thursday night.
3. Obama blown away after his dumboears get flapping in the wind generated by the hot gases blowing out of his obscenely huge mouth.
Actually “Ich bin ein Berliner” means I am a citizen of Berlin. I just want to make that clear
No wonder Obie likes the location so much with his 24 hr/day
“Butler” especially if Larry Sinclair’s stories and allegations are validated further.
He is so horrible, I wish they would tell him just stay out of Germany. Let his campaign come out with one of the lies why he has changed his mind about going to Germany. haha
"Ich bin ein arrogant knucklehead"
"Gen Patreus, tear down this victory"
The goal is to have him shake a lot of hands, get a lot of photo opportunities and portray him more experienced and tied into foreign affairs. His arrogance to speak at the Brandenburg Gate as a senator, self inviting himself at that, is a testament to his actual ignorance of protocol on such issues. But no worries, the MSM will ignore this. Obama’s Hollywood's and the news media's man, he can do no wrong.
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