Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on November 9, 2009

Love ya, Berlin!

Remarkable age we live in. Remarkable in that the technology at our fingertips can sorta-kinda make amends for political gaffes and narcissistic snubs.

After receiving a great deal of criticism from all political sides (including those on the other side of the pond) on Pres. Barack Obama’s decision to blow off the 20th anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall, voila! A quickie video of POTUS, addressing the fall of Communism and the importance of freedom, is electronically sent to make up for his absence at the German celebrations. Ain’t technology grand?

Will this last-minute video resolve and satisfy those (including his diminishing followers) who thought Obama’s “I’m too busy” decision to not attend was a self-centered, casual slap against freedom and a troubling sign of his lack of priorities as an American president? It’s better, though, than the wimpy “too tired” excuse used when he dissed UK PM Gordon Brown several months ago.

Can’t say for sure what international goodwill this Obama-vid will repair and/or foster in the wake of all the negative observations. Seems like a transparent non-apology, IMO.

I’ll be much more impressed when Pres. Obama videotapes and beams to Oslo his acceptance speech for his unearned Nobel Peace Prize. After all, the peace prize committee can FedEx it to him at the White House fairly quickly and cheaply. Offending the committee shouldn’t be too much of a concern to Team Obama, since the president has already offended millions of Europeans and Americans with his Berlin Wall dissing.

From AFP: Obama in surprise Berlin Wall video address:

November 9, 2009

BERLIN — US President Barack Obama on Monday made a surprise video address to celebrations in Germany marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“There could be no clearer rebuke of tyranny. There could be no stronger affirmation of freedom,” Obama said of the fall of the concrete barrier that divided East and West Berlin for 28 years until November 9, 1989.

In the message beamed into celebrations at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, once on the border between East and West Berlin, Obama told cheering crowds: “Even in the face of tyranny. People insisted that the world could change.”

“Even as we celebrate these values, even as we mark this day, we know the work of freedom is never finished.”

The video was played after German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in the state of Brandenburg in communist East Germany, led leaders including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev through the Gate.

“Few would have foreseen … that a united Germany would be led by a woman from Brandenburg or that their American ally would be led by a man of African descent. But human destiny is what human beings make of it,” Obama said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton represented the United States at Monday’s ceremonies, which also included French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

“Led led by a man of African descent.” Good grief. Obama managed to brazenly bring his video apology-address back around to himself. Not what you do with a damage control video, Mr. President. This fall of the Berlin Wall anniversary celebration is SO not about you, so knock it off. And we’ve noticed your not-so-subtle snub of Ronald Reagan and his immense role in the wall being torn down. Was this omission of even mentioning Reagan in Obama’s address indicative of Obama’s own fragile ego? Reagan’s courageous leadership during the Cold War, a historical catalyst for the fall of the Berlin Wall… snubbed by Obama AGAIN.

From NewsCred: Newsweek.com Skips Obama’s Snub of Berlin Wall, Pretends He’s Already Been There:

A Newsweek.com article on Tuesday celebrated historic speeches by U.S. Presidents at the Berlin Wall, somehow ignoring the fact that Barack Obama has decided not to go to Germany to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the collapse of communism. At the same time, the piece, by Anita Kirpalani, pretended that President Obama has made such a trip.

The article, entitled, “Ich Bin Ein Speechmaker: Historic speeches by visiting American presidents have left an outsize footprint on Berlin,” listed visits by John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Obama’s entry insisted, “President: Barack Obama- Date: July 24, 2008.” This was prior to his election and was only in the city of Berlin, not at the wall. The article notes these facts. So, why list him as President when he wasn’t? The rest of the piece is vague on this point.

[...]

However, in a November 3 column, National Review editor Rich Lowry pointed out:

Obama famously made a speech in Berlin during last year’s campaign, but at an event devoted to celebrating himself as the apotheosis of world hopefulness. He said of 1989, “a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.”

The line was typical Obama verbal soufflé, soaring but vulnerable to collapse upon the slightest jostling from logic or historical fact. The wall came down only after the free world resolutely stood against the Communist bloc. Rather than a warm-and-fuzzy exercise in global understanding, the Cold War was another iteration of the 20th century’s long war between totalitarianism and Western liberalism. The West prevailed on the back of American strength.

Moments in History – The Fall of the Berlin Wall

BBC News: Collapse of the Berlin Wall (November 1989)

Related reading:
Infidels Paradise: Attend The Berlin Wall Anniversary? What’s In It For Me? … Besides, Why Would I Celebrate The Fall Of Communism?
Derek Broes, Big Hollywood: Mr. Obama, Tear Down Your Wall!: Reflections After 20 Years
John Loudon, Big Government: To Our Friends in Europe, We Apologize for Our President
Toby Harnden, Telegraph.co.uk: Not enough about him? Barack Obama skips Berlin Wall ceremonies
Goodtimepolitics: How far will Obama fall before becoming a lame duck president?
Riehl World View: The Fall Of The Wall: US Media On The Wrong Side
Animal Farm: Tear down the Wall!
Gateway Pundit: Conservative Student Group Announces National Campus Gulag Campaign and Figures… Obama Skips Anniversary of Fall of Berlin Wall, Sends a Video & Talks About Himself and Big Lib Matt Lauer Questions If It’s ‘Egocentric’ to View Fall of Berlin Wall as ‘American Victory’ (Video) and Celebrating VEE Day – 20 Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall Democrats Build New Socialist State and Sorry Europe… Barack Obama Won’t Be Celebrating the 20 Year Anniversary of the Fall of Communism and Of Course. Obama Will Skip 20 Year Anniversary Celebrations of Fall of Communism
Dan Freeman, Big Government: Tearing Down and Building Up Walls
BBC News: Berliners celebrate fall of Wall
NewsCred: Newsweek.com Skips Obama’s Snub of Berlin Wall, Pretends He’s Already Been There
Sister Toldjah: The anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall – and how the far left still hasn’t given up and Why isn’t President Obama traveling to Germany for Berlin Wall fall anniversary?
Diary of a Mad Conservative: Quote of the day
CNN World: Berlin celebrates night that changed world

Categories: Government, International Relations, Media & Communication, Social and Political Climate, Videos, Audio Files
Tags: 20th anniversary fall of Berlin Wall, anniversary celebration, Barack Obama, Berlin Wall, cold war, Communism, fall of Berlin Wall, fall of Berlin Wall anniversary, Germany, Ich bin ein Berliner, JFK, John F. Kennedy, Nobel Peace Prize, Obama, Obama snubs, Pres. Barack Obama, Pres. Obama, Pres. Reagan, Ronald Reagan, tyranny, video, West Germany, YouTube