Obama’s Speech In Germany

So now you’ve read blog posts about the controversy surrounding Democratic presumptive Presidential party nominee Sen. Barack Obama’s speech in Germany.

Was it cravenly political? A campaign document? Was it reminiscent of JFK’s or Ronald Reagan’s speeches from Berlin, or was it clearly anchored in a different time and generation? Did you hear or read about it on talk shows (left and right) with their predictable-before-you-tune-in spin on it? Or from news reports with journalistic cliche phrases? Or from some weblogs that may be out to hype or undermine one party’s candidate no matter what the event?

No matter…why not just watch it yourself…and make your own decision:

NOTE: While on this 8 week, massive car trip into America’s heartland I am struck by three things, which I’ll elaborate on later: (1) The clear, cancerous and steady death of the once great American newspaper, (2) the lack of bumper stickers for both Obama and McCain, but McCain in particular, (3) the number of people I meet who proudly say they don’t get their political news from biased newspapers anymore — but from talk-radio and from talking-head cable political shows`which they say keeps them well-informed.

Many talk radio and cable political shows and many blogs don’t give pure primary sources and have overt political identities. The complaint for many years was that newspapers and broadcast network news department were more information filters than gatekeepers. Talk radio and blogs on many issues are more impenetrable yet unabashed filters. The spin on issues such as this is predictable…you just know what each side will say….except they come up with increasingly clever ways to say it.

So here’s the speech — love it or hate it. But watch it and make up your own mind if it’s above average and worthwhile or just typical political posturing and one more media event.

Footnote: The latest Gallup Tracking poll indicates the highly-touted overseas trip hasn’t helped Obama. But that could partly be because in 21st century America many people won’t read things or watch people who they already disagree with. Many people are more interested in reaffirming beliefs rather than testing and perhaps re-evaluating them. Their minds are made up about someone and it’s hard to change it.

Which makes Campaign 2008 all the much harder for Obama and for Republican Senator John McCain.

You can read an excellent collection of blog opinions of all kinds on the speech HERE.

UPDATE: Rasmussen’s new poll underscores the overseas trip’s seemingly little domestic political benefit for Obama — and it confirms the observations written above:

While Barack Obama has touted his travel to Afghanistan and Iraq as a “fact-finding” trip, 63% of Americans do not believe it makes the Democratic candidate any more qualified to be president.

A new Rasmussen Reports national survey, taken Monday night, also finds that less than a third (32%) think Obama will learn from his trip to Iraq. Forty percent (40%) say his mind is already made up about policies to deal with the war there. The Democrat has been accused by liberals in his party of softening his long-standing opposition to the war in Iraq in an effort to appeal to more moderate voters.

And it confirms what we wrote in this post:

The partisan divide is clear throughout the new survey. The responses of self-designated Democrats and likely Obama voters generally mirror their candidate’s actions and positions, although at times very narrowly. Republicans and likely voters for John McCain support the GOP candidate much more emphatically.

For example, while 74% of Republicans say it is not right for a candidate to make political statements contrary to government policy while in a war zone, only 40% of Democrats disagree. Nearly as many Democrats (38%) agree with the overwhelming majority of Republicans, as do 50% of unaffiliated voters.