This evening at approx 6pm Barack Obama will address between 10,000 and 1,000,000 berliners (yes that's what the media are saying, someone clearly failed their estimation test!!).

A modern day Kennedy, a new dawn in Euro-American Relations? or just as real as President Jed Bartlet, inspiring, but altogether fictional?

Are you there youngdan? Can you send us a live report?

I managed to embed a stream from RTE here once before so if they are showing it I will try again. If not I'll search the internet see is there anywhere streaming it that I can embed it through.

I find the optics of this trip slightly unsettling and I don't know why. I'm all for vision and the bigger picture, but I think a little more humility might be appropriate.

http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/live/ngb/rsw2-225.asx?name=Obama_Berlin_speech

that link should open it for you in windows media player anyway

Launch in external player

Ok the embedding didn't work very well... just click the link I gave or click launch external player in my previous post.

It seems to have gone down well, but honest to god, the Brandenberg Gate, WTF does he think he is. It's a stunt and nothing but a stunt. 

Imho the American left is a symptom of the decay of the left in the whole western left. Playing minorities instead on concentrating on social policies for the masses.

Just back now Cactus. Did you not see me in the crowd. I was the one dressed in the astronaut suit. In one hand I had a Ron Paul plackard and the other one said The Moon Landing was a Hoax.

unaligned wrote:

I find the optics of this trip slightly unsettling and I don't know why. I'm all for vision and the bigger picture, but I think a little more humility might be appropriate.

I agree. If you are going to make a defining speech, maybe a perch between the Sieges Säule and the Brandenburg Gate is appropriate. Let's face it. He is like a team who play pretty football and are the neutrals favourite "other" team. Interesting to watch but won nothing. If an when he beats McCain, he will have hopefully four years to make defining speeches. (I hope he will do more than just that if he makes it).

youngdan wrote:

Just back now Cactus. Did you not see me in the crowd. I was the one dressed in the astronaut suit. In one hand I had a Ron Paul plackard and the other one said The Moon Landing was a Hoax.

You're far too smart for that youngdan:geek: