Obama Overseas: Déjà Vu

While John McCain shopped with voters, dodged criticism from the media for criticizing Barack Obama, and tries to make it known that he too is in the presidential race, Sen. Obama was standing before the masses in Berlin.

The scene of Thursday's gathering mirrored that of the March on Washington political rally back on August 28, 1963, or that of when President Ronald Reagan spoke in Berlin back on June 12, 1987. Saying he was speaking as a citizen, and not as a presidential candidate, Barack Obama came to deliver a speech of unity for the people of the world to take a stand against terrorism. But didn't we already come together for such a cause once before?

"People of the world - look at Berlin, where 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.

...In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone.

...Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.

That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.

The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down."

Unfortunately for Obama the majority of the crowd was most likely not American, and therefore can not cast their vote for him in the fall. By taking such a stand for peace as one who could be president certainly helps to boost not only Sen. Obama's image, but the image of America. But if the world is to come together and fight against those who would do us harm, is it because of Barack Obama? Would Europeans have rallied together if President Bush was to have made such a speech, or Sen. McCain? Does one join in unity for the better of humanity because one man made a speech on something we should've already been for? Was it really this speech to get such an obvious message out there? Did Sen. Obama just re-ignite the call to fight?

"People of Berlin - and people of the world - the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again."

Some say it's time for American forces to come home, and some say we have no right being over there, and President Bush as ruined America. But thanks to Sen. Obama's speech of coming together against terrorists, and doing away with nuclear weapons, make the American mind-set will change- hey, isn't Barack running for change? I don't know, sounds more like déjà vu.