 BERLIN - Speaking to a vast and enthusiastic crowd in a park at the center of Berlin on Thursday, Senator Barack Obama delivered a stirring call for greater cooperation between the United States and Europe in facing what he called “challenges tomorrow stand up can face.”
In a clear repudiation of words without uplifting value, Obama said, “Ideals aspirations free, dream humanity one.”
The event provided Obama with some of the most striking images of his campaign so far, with the senator from Illinois standing and smiling above two hundred thousand people who have not had to listen to non-stop news about US primary politics for the last 16 months.
“Tear down walls, we are all Berliners, we are all one, united wall of hope,” Obama said, echoing memorable lines from historic speeches delivered in this city by presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.
“One nation one world love me one people.”
“Christian Muslim Jew everyone together party pin tail donkey my place 5pm,” he exhorted.
Amidst the sea of admirers, campaign volunteers sold t-shirts proclaiming “The Milky Way for Obama '08.”
“They're going like hotcakes,” said Jasmine Fenkel, a mixed-race naturalized German citizen attending Humboldt University of Berlin.
But Obama's message also acknowledged grim realities.
“People this moment urgent issues city names alliteration,” he said, in what was perhaps his most specific call to action of the afternoon.
“Walls down people yes,” he implored. “Extend hand lift.”
“Future destiny improbable world answer call sauerkraut.”
According to one campaign aide, the speech was an even greater success than the campaign had hoped for. “They loved that line about sauerkraut,” he said. |