He said it beautifully, as usual. And Barack Obama's appearance in Berlin was astonishing. For its audicity, in emulating Kennedy so obviously, for its cheek, in upstaging John McCain so dramatically, and beacuse of the rock-star welcome he received. Obamania is going global, and is a political phenomenon that has to be seriously compared with Beatlemania. His final words, "Thank you Berlin", closed what was in truth a political concert. And just like in the world of music, the fans had come not so much to hear what he had to say - they've got the CDs at home - but to see the star.
But what about the song? There was a lot of liberal feelgood idealism in the speech, but most of this was about creating a mood rather than making commitments. Obama's call to renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons is welcome, but in reality such a goal is just airy aspiration viewed against the prospect of a possible administration ending in 2016. And there was a lot of the Blair-style "third way" about the speech, seeing opposing viewpoints and setting a middle course:
In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe’s role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth – that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.
To be fair, Obama was clearly signalling a new approach to America's relationship with the world, a new multilateralism and a desire to become the world's friend, to make the world feel positive about America and to build trust.
We must remember that the Cold War born in this city was not a battle for land or treasure. Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust – not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here.
I do wonder, though, how far uplift alone can take him. I'm as attracted to him as anyone, and I suppose on a foreign trip there's a limit to how controversial he can be. But I found myself wanting a little more ideological edge, a little more that might meet with disagreement. Will we have to wait for the Obama-McCain debates?
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