Obama in Berlin!?

I think the American public aren't as interested in McCain because we kinda "know" the guy by now. Obama is listened to not only because he is a great speaker but also because we all want to absorb as much as we can about the guy. His foreign policy ideas are under the microscope right now and I believe he is "passing the test," so to speak, by us and the world.

I watched Obama's speech live on BBC & in my humble opinion he said nothing of any consequence whatever. He wants closer ties with Europe, he doesn't like those beastly nuclear weapons, he's worried about climate change, he loves little kittens and doesn't like bad boys ... and he traipsed all around the world to deliver that flim flam ... a total waste of time. Well, a total waste of 30 minutes of my life watching it.

He said nothing about the problems today facing John Doe or Hans Mustermann ... if his was a typical US stump speech I'm mightily disappointed.

reply to post by Quazga

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A well receieved persona abroad is a requirement for President? I can see where you are coming from but do you really want every Hollywood star running for President.

Seriously, I think the popularity contest is not that important. What is more important are the issues. I know you want Obama and I respect that, but I think the debate over who is more popular overseas is going too far. As a result, I declare Obama the winner. Let's move on to the next issue.

Quazga, I find myself agreeing with you a lot. It seems I am one step behind you sometimes. I think you are spot on. We really do need someone that will make nice friends and allies for us. His trip to Iraq showed that he is up for the task.

Hold it right there.

Ok, from what you have told me so far, this makes a lot of sense. The media's main goal is what... ratings, eyeballs, etc. And, since Hurricane season is evidently well underway, they will focus on the buzzwords of water disasters.

Did you hear them say anything about Bush when the Levees along the Mississippi didn't hold recently?

No.

So now anytime there is a natural disaster that has to do with water, and if there are levees in the area, then they will ask the question "Do you believe they will hold?" to whomever they can. And this is what they should do.

It definitely has more to do with ratings, and learning from past catastrophes what questions should be asked.




Nope. As I mentioned above the very presence of levees now begs the question. Let's look at this scenario.

Hurricane Dolly approaches, news media get wind that there are levees in the area. At first, they think... "Someone is going to want to ask questions about those levees. We need to find out what they can stand up to, so that we are well informed". But then, they have second thoughts. They think someone on ATS might decide that they are liberally biased against the President for some reason. So they don't ask any questions about the levees.

Then, when the news coverage starts, no one is asking about the levees. Suddenly, someone on ATS realizes this and believes it is a conspiracy! "HOW COME NO ONE IS ASKING ABOUT THE LEVEES!??!" reads the headline of the post.

After a mod changing this title to a non-all-caps typeset, there are a flood of responses claiming how the Media is obviously in on the NWO takeover because they aren't asking about the levees... that must means something horrible!

Then, someone makes the connection with the 500k burial containers found here in Atlanta recently and the dots line up perfectly! It was all planned!





To be expected.



Actually that last sentence was wholly subjective on your part. The other is to be expected though. This is the result of play by play 24 hour risk assessment via the media.




Don't you get CNN? Ever see Lou Dobbs?



Dude, you seriously need to tune into Lou Dobbs!



Huh? The media wanted to understand the long and short of it, but the ptb were not very forthcoming with reality. Did you see the recent video that had Bush talking about how Wall Street got Drunk?



No I don't. I see a pattern of sensationalism in general. I don't see any specifically geared any direction in much of what I see. Although I do see Fox News to be rather propogandaish. CNN Has too many different personalities for me to be any one way. You got Lou Dobbs, and then Anderson Cooper, and finally Glenn Beck...so I'd say you got various perspectives in there. Niether Beck, nor Dobbs like Obama, so I'm not sure how CNN is protrayed as Liberal.



[edit on 24-7-2008 by Quazga]

I can't say I want to vote for the guy but he deserves credit for a powerful speech. It's refreshing to see a U.S politician to get a response like that overseas.

YouTube Link

Because that's what matters to the world--he addresses America's concerns in America. Believe it or not, the rest of the world has figured that GCC isn't part of some vast moderate-with-mild-conservative-leanings conspiracy and started seriously trying to slow or stop it. The rest of the world figured out that homosexuals are people like any other decades ago. The rest of the world is making a concerted, honest effort to join together as a brotherhood of man, while we bitch about OMG ITS T3H SATANIK NOO WURLD ORDER!!1!!111

I really don't see what everyone is getting all uptight about.

Regardless of which candidate wins in November there is a lot of damage that needs to be repaired with regard to our image on the world stage. The next president will have a lot of work to do and a lot of visits to make because the current administration has successfully alienated just about every other country.

What makes me wonder is that there are many people who claim that Obama's lack of foreign policy experience is a big negative factor for him and yet when he travels overseas and visits places he needs to know about, like the Middle East, Afghanistan, etc, people complain!

We're in a pretty bad state at the moment with regard to international relations. If everyone would put away the silly liberal vs. conservative stuff for a little bit I think we would all benefit greatly.

Republicans and Democrats alike will all agree that there is work that needs to be done. The past 8 years haven't been very successful in the opinion of most of the planet, America included. So, instead of dividing ourselves along irrelevant lines, why not analyze the two candidates for who they are and what they can do for us. That's what it comes down to, isn't it?

I don't care what party you're from, I care what you're going to do for this country, and how you're going to fix our problems. Tell me why to vote for you.

reply to post by Niall197

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I have to say although I strongly disagree with you I found the visuals you sent made me giggle. Picturing Obama in pigtails and while skipping through across Europe made me giggle. Thanks for that.

There definitely was a grand after affect left if not from the speech itself just that image of the masses cheering and holding American flags will remain.

A great speech? I just heard him reciting a boring history lesson to the people who actually LIVED it, then failing to apply this lesson to our current situation.

If this guy wants to be a global citizen so badly, I wish he'd run for president of the UN or something, because the last time I checked the United States is a soverign nation and the world's last remaining superpower. I don't give a damn what the Europeans want out of us.

Obama's not an American anyway. As far as I'm concerned, he should stay overseas.

reply to post by anyone

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His trip shows that he went overseas. He did not make the US any allies or foes. Once elected he will have that opportunity. Let's see how long Germany will see him as a friend if he decides to send us into Pakistan unilaterally to get Osama.

Did you see all those American Flags waving in that video!


That's just Gorgeous!!! I love that sight!

He is going to be the best President Ever!

[edit on 24-7-2008 by Quazga]

reply to post by highfreq

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Hey thanks, highfreq, for the vid. post. A star from me.

reply to post by Niall197

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That's pretty much it, alright. Welcome to American politics: high on style, thin on substance.

As I stated earlier, for all the hype his campaign has built up over the last week, the speech itself was pretty mundane, boring stuff of a similar type that you'd expect from any other Dem candidate speaking to a European crowd. He's got a great delivery, no doubt, but it wasn't much at all if you expected new, groundbreaking content. For those that expected real substance given all the hype, I can see where you'd be disappointed.

reply to post by vor78

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You should watch another recent speech on foreign policy in this thread. There are more details on his future foreign policy.

Oddly enough the last charismatic President that we had actually was from Hollywood.



I would say that this particular election does need to incorporate the question of how our President is perceived in the eyes of the world. Now obviously the electorate will make that decision. But as to it being a priority, I believe that in this specifc election that it is.

Primarily because popular leadership inspires action in the population.

and other than what Fox News tells you - what do you know about McCain, or what did you know about Bush before you elected him?

Please. Do you expect every future president to come over to your house and have a beer with you before you'll offer support?

So Obama goes off to speak to another country (diplomacy) and McCain stays home and tells us to bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran?

I think the picture is clear

reply to post by anyone

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I'm merely commenting on the content of this one speech.

Myself, I did watch most of the Democratic debates and have read through his policy proposals at his website. There is decent information out there on his policies, but the substance certainly didn't match the hype today.

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand why, too. They know there's a potential for backlash if their candidate goes too far in campaigning on foreign soil. In the end, what we're left with is a speech that was intended to be politically safe, but as a consequence, lacked any real substance beyond the rather standard Dem/liberal foreign policy talking points.

[edit on 24-7-2008 by vor78]

To those questioning whether or not it was PC for Obama to give this speech I just want to remind you that McCain recently gave a speech while in Canada.