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Obama In Berlin

 

I caught the second half of Obama's speech in Berlin today. What I heard was unsurprising, but elegantly wrought and delivered, and the stagecraft was perfect. And whereas the weather conspired against John McCain this week, Obama was greeted with sunshine. (Three-pointers and blue skies--a metaphor for this trip so far.)

One minor thing that I tripped over: There's maybe something potentially hubristic-sounding about addressing your remarks to "people of the world." Or maybe that just sounds to me like something from an alien-invasion movie....

Also, the crowd response was slightly less frenzied than I'd expected; on TV, at least, the cheering seemed hearty--but not full-out Beatlemania. (The applause was especially wan, for instance, when Obama cited the need to stop Iran from acquiring nukes.)

--Michael Crowley