The debate in Germany goes on! Is Berlin’s Victory Tower a fitting place for Barack Obama’s long-awaited speech on transatlantic relations? Writing for Germany’s Frankfurter Rundschau, Eckart D. Stratenschulte suggests that since the Brandenburg Gate has been counted out, the Victory Tower may be even better:
“With the Victory Column, another good place has been found for his appearance. Obama need only characterize this in the proper light. First – the Column represents victory – and that’s not a bad omen for someone in the midst of an election battle.”
Then, writing of the utility of the location, Stratenschulte writes:
“And there’s plenty of room for an audience around the Victory Column, for it stands in the midst of the Tiergarten [the park in the center of Berlin]. Obama should be a somewhat grateful to Adolf Hitler for this. He had the Victory Column brought there in the context of his plans to rearrange Berlin as the world capital of Germania. To be precise, the monument stood in front of the Reich building [the Reichstag – or Parliament]. There, the America candidate would have had to battle the central district’s Urban Green Space Planning Office, which is even more stubborn than Angela Merkel.”
By Eckart D. Stratenschulte*
Translated by Julian Jacob
July 22, 2008
Germany – Frankfurter Rundschau – Original Article (German)
Barack Obama will come to Berlin on Thursday and deliver an important speech. That’s already a beautiful thing. So many insignificant speeches are heard in Berlin that this will be nice for a change. But it’s perfectly clear that Obama’s interest in his performance consists not only in enriching citizens on holiday in Berlin, but above all for election advertising at home. Which is also why the “location” is so important.
Actually, Obama wanted to speak in front of the Brandenburg Gate. That hasn’t worked out. But the Gate isn’t reserved, as has been claimed, for visiting heads of state. In fact there is a regular stream of promotional events there, and besides, it stands right next to the American Embassy. But George W. Bush shot a furious glance at our chancellor during the G8 summit in Japan, and so it won’t be held there.
This may have left the candidate momentarily annoyed, but it can be seen in another light: The raised eyebrow of a U.S. President often creates widespread disruptions among Germany’s leading politicians. If this is already true in Bush’s case and judging by the recent conduct of the Europeans, the chances for a President Obama to mimic his success are excellent.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated foreign press coverage of Obama’s tour and the U.S. presidential election.
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