I called one of my numerous bosses “Hon” today. It surprised me that I could be so sarcastic, but the situation called for it. He came up to my desk smiling and said that he had heard “my guy” hadn’t done so well in Germany. I said, “You’ve got to quit watching Fox News, Hon! You’re being misinformed.” I also asked him if he thought the other guy could hold the attention of 200,000 people for 30 minutes.
It seems that everyone is trying to find something to complain about, some flaw or error in Obama’s speech. It wasn’t specific enough. It was too much about global citizenship. My bias is fully noted here. Still, it seems like nit picking. Was Germany really the place you wanted a lot of wonky facts? No. I thought the speech hit the mark. America can still be a part of the world. We have core values that the people still hold. We want to work on the tough issues of the day. That is what I took from the speech and it doesn’t seem like a bad thing to say. We have had nearly 8 years of sheer incompetence. We need to start letting the world know that much of what has happened in that time is an aberration. (God help us all if it is not.) We need to start the conversation and I think that is what Obama accomplished. He didn’t sell us out on anything. He made no promises nor did he compromise our sovereignty. He simply said “let’s talk”.
Not that talking is so simple. Talking is what we have been missing. We have been unwilling to hear anything that has been said around the world in fear that we may be seen as somehow less powerful for taking other views into consideration. We have been unable to hear any other point of view because we have been pounding our fist on the table and yelling out our position or simply saying we refuse to talk to people. Talking is how the world works. Conversations , not diatribes. Obama’s speech, if he is elected, will be the first step in healing some of the wounds we have created.
There is the real rub. If. The Republicans see this speech as presumptuous. They see the entire trip as presumptuous. McCain says that he would give a speech in Germany too, but that it would be as President. This is ironic. McCain is the one that challenged him to take the trip to Iraq and Afghanistan that started this world tour. His goading backfired and he can’t stand it. They challenged Obama to run the gauntlet – the trip posed many opportunities for mistakes and guffaws. He is coming through undaunted.
This trip is also a test for those of us who really want to believe, but who have been burned before. It is a chance for us to see how he stands up against the leaders of other countries. We get a chance to see his style and if he can hold his own. Is he presidential? I feel he is answering that question in the affirmative. Despite what the New York Times claims, I believe that the leaders in Europe feel the same way.
Recent Comments