Ja, wir können!

Tuesday, 8 July 2008 by bbbeard.

The Times has a relatively balanced discussion of Obama’s strategy for Berlin.

The London Times, that is. Roger Boyes writes,

Berlin, a city torn apart by war, is the perfect setting for an American president preaching peace. Ronald Reagan famously stood metres away from the Brandenburg Gate and called on the Soviet Union to tear down the Wall dividing Europe. And President Kennedy used a Cold War visit to the once and future German capital to declare: “ich bin ein Berliner!”

Now Barack Obama, the presidential candidate, wants to grandstand there too. But a simmering row between the German Government and the local Berlin authorities could rob the Democratic politician of a photogenic moment at the Brandenburg Gate and derail his flagship tour of Europe this month.

Mr. Obama is in desperate need of symbolism that creates the appearance of foreign policy savvy. Navigating the tricky warren of streets that spread out from the Brandenburg Gate might be just the touch of savoir-faire that the press needs to convince itself that this guy’s for real.

His EuroTrip arrives on the front pages just as a devasting meme is circulating: that BO had a total of 143 days of Senate experience before beginning his run for the Presidency. As Cheri Jacobus points out, “I keep leftovers in my refrigerator longer than that.” As of right this instant, Google reports 23,300 hits for the phrase “143 days of Senate experience”. Maybe Obama should trademark the phrase and send out C&D letters to the blogosphere.

As it happens, the Brandenburger Tor was undergoing renovation when I was in Berlin a number of years ago. Here’s my snap:

Ironically enough, the wily Berliners had covered the gate with a trompe-l’oeil drape. (Astute readers will have noted that the Eiffel Tower is not within viewing distance of the B’Gate.) But this photo is arguably fitting for a candidate known principally for his style rather than his substance.

Of course, the most notably stylish Prez to visit the B’Gate was Saint JFK. JFK’s gaffe-that-wasn’t had to do with a particular kind of jelly donut known as a “Berliner”.

It remains to be seen whether the spectacularly gaffe-prone candidate will emerge from this adventure intact. The European press is rumored to be less forgiving of error than the American press, at least when it comes to covering for Democrat politicians.

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