Obama's Choice of (new) Site for Speech Splits Germans (Ich Bin Ein Dummkopf)

International Herald Tribune ^ | Sunday, July 20, 2008 | Judy Dempsey

[kristinn]

BERLIN: The decision by Senator Barack Obama to speak at a landmark monument in Berlin this Thursday has opened up yet another controversy, with conservative and opposition politicians saying the site recalls Germany's Nazi past and Prussia's militaristic tradition.

Obama is planning to address what organizers expect will be huge crowds at the Siegessäule, or Victory Column, which is located in the center of a long and busy intersection that straddles the lush, public Tiergarten gardens and stretches up to the Brandenburg Gate.

SNIP

After days of back and forth between the chancellery and the Obama campaign, the Victory Column was selected.

But Andreas Schockenhoff, deputy leader of the conservative bloc in Parliament, said Sunday that the choice of the Victory Column, also known as the Golden Angel, was an "unhappy symbol" since it represented so much of Germany's militaristic past.

Rainer Brüderle, deputy leader of the opposition Free Democrats, said Obama's advisers had little idea of the historical significance of the Victory Column. "It was the symbol of German superiority over Denmark, Austria and France," Brüderle told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

The monument was built in 1864 to commemorate Prussia's victory over Denmark. When it was inaugurated, Prussia had defeated Austria during the Austro-Prussian war in 1866 and the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71.

The column has been originally located near the Reichstag, now the Bundestag, or German Parliament, which is close to the Brandenburg Gate. But Adolf Hitler relocated it about two kilometers, or one mile, toward the western part of the city to the Grosser Stern, or Great Star.

[jimbo123]

[alecqss]

I believe it was Russian writer Bulgakov who coined the term for such crowds: human roe.

[Chode]

Ich Bin Ein Arugula...

[Miss Didi]

Trying to stay in the headlines, Mrs. Clinton has her own breaking news...

From the NY Daily News:

The Bi-Partisan, or The 'Do-Over: There's nothing like changing your hairdo to signify a fresh start. Senator Hillary Clinton sported a new style Wednesday, changing her part from left to right.

[Chode]

IIRC, carter did the same thing...

[Cheburashka]

Did Obama sleep through all his history classes?

---

He cut ‘em. Smokin’ in the boy's room.

Hey, he could adopt that as his campaign's theme song.

[Cheburashka]

I think this speech will backfire on him; if I was Merkle I would give Obama an option....you can meet with me, or you can give a speech, but you can’t do both.

---

She can't. She might have to work with him for four or (!!!!) eight years. She has no control over our elections. And can't take the risk of insulting him. So he's aware of it, at least.

[Thunder90]

Maby in October, Obama should go to Russia to speak at Red Square with Russian Premier Putin (And tour Lenin’s tomb)...

[freeangel]

“Did obama sleep through all his history classes?”

No, but he IS the candidate of change which means he will be just another racist who thinks rewriting history will be part of his “change” duty.

[JRochelle]

(Ich Bin Ein Dummkopf)

LOL!

Das is ser goot!

[Cobra64]

Where’d you find those photos? I’ve been looking for that kind of material to use against democrats.

[RoseofTexas]

What a slap to the Jewish community....I pray earnestly this will backfire on him ROYALLY and may the Jewish voters see right through the FALSE BLACK MUSLIM MESSIAH recreation of Hitler!

[skimbell]

Brit Hume the other night during the "World Famous Panel" discussion.

[cynwoody]

Is Obama Speech Site Contaminated by Nazi Past?

Um, yeah.

[Miss Didi]

Actually, it was the ever sharp wit of Dr. Krauthammer.

[skimbell]

I think that he's already got the ball rolling on this. He's going to call his the gang the "civilian national security force".

Different name, same idea.

[Miss Didi]

What a slap to the Jewish community....I pray earnestly this will backfire on him ROYALLY and may the Jewish voters see right through the FALSE BLACK MUSLIM MESSIAH recreation of Hitler!

Someone tell me that Clinton Inc. does NOT have an undercover secret agent advising Lord Barack.

[tillacum]

This picture is the deam nobama is having at this moment, Thousands and thousands of cheering Germans yelling “HEIL, OBAMA” with arms held upward and forward, palm facing down.

[Uri’el-2012]

Just so long as he does not call himself a "jelly doughnut"

[skimbell]

Your post got me thinking. I was sure that I remembered Brit Hume saying that to Krauthhammer the other night so I googled the phrase. Turns out that Mike Ramirez had the original in a cartoon this week....

http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/ich_bin_ein_beginner/