Absent from
Berlin, Obama Misses Grand Opportunity
"The
absence of Barack Obama in Berlin yesterday, among the leaders of countries
which have been central to our history, is a telling confirmation of his
indifference toward a continent that is no longer a priority for the United
States."
In Germany on Sunday for the 20th anniverssary of the Berlin Wall, Secretary of State Clinton accepts an Atlantic Council Freedom Award on behalf of the American people from her predecessor, Henry Kissinger. Even the presence of Hillary Clinton failed to impress many Europeans, who thought it dissapointing that President Obama failed to appear.
Any American president other
than Barack Obama would have traveled to Berlin for the twentieth anniversary
of the fall of the Wall - if for no other reason than to celebrate the
essential role of the United States in the victory of freedom in Europe.
Too busy to accept [German
Chancellor] Angela Merkel's invitation, the American president, it is true, sees
the files piling up on his Oval Office desk. The reform of the health care
system just made it out of the House of Representatives for the real battle in
the Senate. Unemployment continues to rise despite signs of recovery.
Afghanistan still awaits a decision on a new strategy. Lastly, Benyamin
Netanyahu came to knock on his door to remind him that every day, Iran is
getting closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon. In short, Barack Obama has a lot
to do these days.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Anniversaries are primarily a
symbolic affair, one might say. But since we're on the topic [of symbolism],
it's nonetheless a pity that America delegated Berlin to Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, whereas Russia was represented by its head of state, Dmitry
Medvedev.
In the symbolism of American
presidents, Barack Obama could have left his mark with the bipartisan line of “Ich bin ein Berliner[I am a Berliner]” uttered by John F. Kennedy in 1963, or, “Mr. Gorbachev,
tear down this wall!” declared by Ronald Reagan in 1987, just two years before
the event celebrated yesterday.
Certainly, Barack Obama, too,
delivered
a speech in Berlin. But that was before he was elected - and after trying,
without success, to speak in front of the Brandenburg Gate on the very spot
where Ronald Reagan spoke his words of premonition. Meanwhile back then [before
the election], the Democratic candidate gave the impression of exploiting his immense
popularity in Europe for electoral gain.
The absence of Barack Obama
in Berlin yesterday, among the leaders of countries which have been central to our
history, is a telling confirmation of his indifference toward a continent that
is no longer a priority for the United States.
But it was also a missed
opportunity: the fall of the Berlin Wall symbolizes the firmness of democracies
in the face of oppression. America, like Europe, should be inspired by this
event to tear down all walls, in Iran, Afghanistan, the Middle East and
elsewhere.
