On Demand
Obama's World Tour
As Barack Obama’s trip to Afghanistan, the Middle East and Europe winds down, Josef Joffe, editor and publisher of Die Zeit, a weekly German newspaper, a fellow at the Hoover Institute and the author of Uberpower: The Imperial Temptation of America, then Rami Khouri, editor-at-large at The Daily Star in Lebanon, then Karen Tumulty, Time national poltical correspondent, discuss the trip.
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One or two well placed jokes will turn this media slow news summer feast into what it obviously is: the "Let's Play President" world tour. I think it's hilarious that McCain is doing a press conference a day from a French Restaurant, an English restaurant, an Italian restaurant, to mirror the "LPP" tour.
How extraordinary a sight: An African American standing at or near the very spot where another demagogue once stood in front of hundreds of thousands of people. I hope Obama's rhetoric isn't more demagogery. He certainly has no problem "borrowing" from other great speeches.
Steve
yes, how far we have come indeed.
"Obamamania"? Really? Not sure how I feel about that description Brian.
obama being elected would show the world we get it. the bush years were our greatest mistake and we see a better way forward.
I am so proud of Obama; just about everything he does (including speaking in Berlin) makes him look like the only real candidate in the election (especially when McCain can't respond without sounding like an old coot).
By the way, the title of the newspaper is pronounced "Dee tsayt"...
"Demagogue" another interesting description...did anyone actually here the words that were coming out of his mouth?
Can't wait to see the comments after mccain meets with the Dali Lama today.
nova camelot will need a press core
I live in berlin my self and i must say that mania is a fair statment. i saw the speech and while the speech was more broad i find that the interesting part was the crowd that was willing to accept all of the parts of the speech that could be taken poorly (i.e. the afganistan section) they love him here and in there eyes there is no one else running.
The European basically wants a US that will supply Europe with an army that they can use but not pay for and that will consist of soldiers whose deaths won't be mourned in Europe.
Brilliant imagery and execution. This guy is a good politician, making the right moves. Meeting world leaders, Petraeus, the masses, looking very much like the center of attention, the luminous star in the room.
Meanwhile on the home front, all McCain can do is attack Obama incessantly - angry and old and bitter. Not good. They were crying about all the media attention Obama's trip got before it even started. He makes gaffe after gaffe, seemingly hanging his old campaign on the alleged success of the surge - lots of luck with that.
"mania" sounds like a fad, a passing fancy, temporary if you will and this is not that at all.
Obama looks good on his World Tour.
Bottomline: He's a Democrat - fairly standard Democrat - I'm glad that he like's the 50-state plan (DNC-Dean), and he is a nice symbolic change.
Brian,
I am a NYer living in Paris and to the French I know and in the Media, there is only Obama. I know many people who believed that the race was between Hilary and Obama. The coverage of McCain here is dwarfed by the coverage of the man who is a symbol here of a change of the guard and a turn from an administration that is overwhelmingly unpopular. I have observed that he has the power to alter our currently dismal impression on the rest of the world. I know this is not a newsflash, but I am constantly witnessing the strong opinion here that it is essential for Obama to win.
There is Obamamania, period. Especially as seen on this world tour. There is something a little irrational about it and Obama would agree.
Think Beatlemania and you might not consider it a bad thing. That was no fad, 45 years later the Beatles are still the real deal. But there was mad mania.
"steep learning curve ahead of him" Who ever entered the white house 100% "learned" if you will? I am not feeling very positive about Brian's comments this morning.
the truth states: ""mania" sounds like a fad, a passing fancy, temporary if you will and this is not that at all."
It might not be a 'mania' as you describe in the US, but it may be a 'mania' in Europe. As the European said, Obama is something of a blank slate onto which the Europeans can project everything they'd like to see in a US President.
what about john Mccain's vision for the future??? Can someone please cover him and his surge on the economy.
perhaps it is passing, once he is put into practice the hard prospects of his high ideal will take off the sweet candy shell. in the end everyone here hates bush so the response to the anti bush come to speak to them is fair to liken as a mania
Here we go again -- Rami Khouri bloviating on the Middle East.
Here's a summary of what he always says:
America-bad
Israel-bad
Arabs-faultless
Palestinians-blameless
Why even bother....
I think Obama looked good on a world stage, but when you overlay his trip with McCains foreign policy flub (fubar) week, he looked like the only capable option in the race.
I have two words that will make the comment:
MEXICO & WALLS. What does O'Bama compare European walls and Mexican walls?
That Europe is gaga over Obama unnerves me. I almost expected him to say, Ich bin ein Beginner. At least that would have been honest. There are people in life who will do or say anything to be popular. Hmmmm.
BORED
does he have one?
I think Obama's reception had less to do with his own (rather vague) qualities, and more to do with how little people thought of Bush; most Europeans found him distasteful as very best, most found him ridiculous and deeply malign.
(i'm a european).
dave robert asks: "I have two words that will make the comment: MEXICO & WALLS. What does O'Bama compare European walls and Mexican walls?"
Let me guess: The Berlin Wall kept people from leaving and a wall with Mexico would prevent them from coming?
Don't forget the Israeli walls!
There are larger walls on the Long Island Expressway to keep the noise out - than in many of the countries Obama mentioned.
but it does make for good sound bites...
Could you please find a word other than "gaffe" to describe when a candidate says something at odds with someone's take on the "facts." If every slight deviation is marked as a gaffe the whole exercise will become meaningless. This goes for any candidate -- McCain or Obama or anyone. It's quickly becoming so overused no one will pay attention when a candidate says something really significant. Could you please parse the meaning behind the sentences not just the oddity here and there. If the campaign coverage devolves into four months of "gotcha" we, the citizens, will not be well-served.
This manufactured issue of the disparate coverage between the candidates is so annoying. First, the media needs to get over itself. As badly as it might want to be, its not the story. And if McCain can't capture our interest through the strength of his policies or personality, so be it. Basic coverage is necessary, extraordinary coverage is earned.
Robert adds: "Don't forget the Israeli walls!"
Another was to prevent people from coming.
Is anyone else confused about why a candidate is stumping worldwide and not with his constituents?
I thnk GTA[26] has it about right. I for one am growing tired of the vagueness of Obama's speeches and positions. I think there is an anyone but bush reaction in the rest of the world, so even a cauliflower would be a welcome change.
I think Obama's tour is embarassing. (and he represents my party) He hasn't accomplished anything to merit this tour and his speech in Berlin sounded naive. The world and our country need honest answers and plausible solutions for incredibly complicated problems, the flourishing language is empty and insulting. The truth is, we need so much more, we need substance and depth and answers and laid out solutions.
Yes, Robert...Don't forget the Israeli security fence that prevents Palestinian terrorists from butchering Israeli men, women and children....
No wonder so many people Israel-bashers complain about the security fence -- it takes leverage away from the terrorists.
Israel-bashers are foaming mad that Israeli lives are being saved.
Robert [#23 & #28]: Don't forget the walls in your mind!
To BORED,
How funny that your screen name ties in so perfectly with your comment! Is anyone more BORING than John McCain? Did you see him standing in the cheese aisle of the grocery store, taking ten minutes to say "It depends on what you mean when you say 'surge'." In the meantime, Obama's attracting a crowd of 200,000 in Berlin.
Interesting that McCain has, for months, been badgering Obama to visit Iraq, and now that he has done so, but apparently not in the manner that McCain wished, he is supposedly being "presumptuous." Does anyone ever call McCain presumptuous for traveling overseas? It's ridiculous.
They can have OBAMA if they want him that bad.
They can also have OBAMA's Patriot Act, FISA and death penalty.
So, it is ok for Germans to be "let out" but not Mexicans.
mccain gets plenty of coverage - and when he travels, we heard about his gaffes. He is pretty funny, though.
#33 - Elisa,
He is not stumping worldwide. Allegedly, this was a fact finding trip and the campaign is on hold (I said allegedly). Meanwhile, everyone doubts his experience and foreign policy credentials etc. so this trip will go along way toward addressing that.
As for his 300 million constituents, is not he spending time with them? All we would be doing is watching him on television anyway, whether he is in Baghdad or Boise.
#31 - EGB,
Well said.
Obama really has the German and Jordanian vote sewn up. That's really gonna tip the election in his favor.
Enough already! A half hour on this cynical media stunt of a campaign trip? I thought Brian Lehrer that. If I want newz-lite on the presidential horse race I can turn on CNN, etc. Go deeper on this, find a unique angle, or just leave it alone.
@ Ayanna I agree. What I think is missing is that the media does McCAin a favor by not covering him.They only ask him questions about Obama and not about his own ideas.
both kettles and pots are black
Don't forget the racist greedy walls in the minds of Muslim Arabs in Sudan who are slaughtering thousands of Muslim Blacks
Don't forget the racist hateful walls in the minds of the 22 country members of the Arab League who can't seem to find any reason to stop the killing in Sudan.
Don't forget the racist agenda-driven walls of those who exaggerate the Arab terror war on Israel as the greatest "humanitarian crisis" in the world, while the conveniently ignore all the Muslim killing in the world -- because hey, remember the Danish cartoons -- it's a lot easier to criticize Israel.
Obama is fluff, that is why he sounds like fluff. And I agree with many points made here -esp. how everyone is projecting their hopes on this blank slate.
I personally do not have the patience to listen to him speak; I find myself instantly tuning out and yawning. Fluff, indeed.
TRUTH
Comment 17
I am loathed to agree with you, but I do. I have sensed myself during the early run up to the demo. race a possible doubt on the part of the presenter about Obama's experience. As Obama himself said, in paraphrase, : where did all the 'experience' his peers supposedly had get us as a nation?
I was going to use the example of the Beatles myself. When was the last time the European community admired one of our prospective presidents?
please cover mccain
remember when he confused iran and kayda?
s & L
left his first sickly wife for hoter model
#45 writes "If I want newz-lite on the presidential horse race I can turn on CNN, etc."
THEN PLEASE DO.
Khouri(sic) from the Daily Star has it wrong regard Dennis Ross. He's thoughtful and brilliant and has earned his stripes in two admin(Bush I and Clinton). He is like a brilliant physician-if the patient refuses the prescription, they either don't want the help or want to cause trouble. Arafat(aided by Malley)refused the help;perhaps what is really needed are new Arab leaders who are courageous enough to face the Arab street.
By any reasonable measure, Obama has had a brilliant week, demonstrating -- while under the most intense international scrutiny of his campaign -- a level of engagement and composure that one can only call presidential.
Of course, traditional American media are not reporting this, preferring instead to tell us over and over how "presumptuous" and "arrogant" Obama is.
Why? Because what passes for "balance" in traditional American media is not to call good "good" and bad "bad," but rather to present Americans with a forced equity between liberal and conservative, regardless of the actual record.
This has dictated muted coverage of Obama's week, while the media has essentially ignored the fact that McCain has been a daily gaffe machine.
If Obama had made all the unforced errors this week that McCain has, we'd be hearing about it for weeks.
Karen Israel is a human rights abuser. We can spend all day arguing who and what is more evil but at the end of the day even people like you know what the truth is.
Hi Megan I mean Karen (I recognize the hate),
Don't forget the racist, hateful and greedy Israelis that stole the land by force and built their nation upon deserted Arab towns and villages. And rely on billions of dollars of US $$ to thrive and have no problem getting it since the US Congress is Israeli-controlled territory.
But what does this have to do with Obama - maybe that he is running to be Prime Minister of Israel is you listen to his remarks.
obama is running for 'entertainer of the world'. he behaves like he is in a rock group or a circus, and not like a serious man running for POTUS, ready to address the very serious issues this country, with two wars and a terrible economy, healthcare problems, environmental concerns, and the devastation around the world including dafur.
But for 'entertainer of the world', he is the best candidate, no one else is best SPEAKING FROM BOTH SIDES OF HIS MOUTH!
In just recent months, he has shifted drastically his positions on the same issue numerous times, and on Iraq even called two press conferences to layout two different positions within minutes! The speech he gave at AIPAC was a disgrace on his part, changing his stance several times w/in 24-48 hrs!
By the way, more troops and more importance in the war in Afghanistan-was not first emphasized by obama! This has been discussed by numerous experts for years. And yet, the guy who was to oversee in the congress, hearings to improve the conditions, was no other than obama! His response for not holding not one single oversight hearing is that he felt it was more important to run for potus
It is funny to see how crazy Europeans are for Obama and yet they all elect VERY conservative leaders for their own countries!
dave robert asks: "So, it is ok for Germans to be "let out" but not Mexicans."
I never said that I agreed with building any wall, but qualitatively the examples you cite are very different and if you cannot see that, you are simply blinded by your own ideology.
karen
so you're saying everyone's rights after mine?
Obama is fluff?? Are you kidding me?? I have already had enough of the "comic styings" of mccain.
Stop yawning and open ya ears Juanna!
Change is good! Thanks to the "bushes" we are currently hated all over the globe!!
allegedly BORED replies to Karen: "Israel is a human rights abuser. We can spend all day arguing who and what is more evil but at the end of the day even people like you know what the truth is."
Perhaps, but ask yourself how long people in this country tolerate random acts of violence before they responded in a manner that could easily be characterized as abusive?
Diego
FYI their conservatives are like a mod democrat here
Dear Chris O
Speaking of hate, nice rant! lol
I don't know who the heck Megan is - perhaps the little voice in your head - but I was responding to Robert who. like you, used this segment to bash Israel.
Feel free to ask your partner in hate what Obama has to with Israel.
And while you're at it, don't forget the brutal theft of America from the Indians when you and your ancestors stole the land form the Indians. Shame on you Chris O -- you hypocritical phony!
It is funny. One person says, "Don't forget the Israeli walls." That is all they wrote - kind of vague, certainly not hateful.
Then some jihadist using the nom de guerre of Karen appears, spouting all kinds of anti-Arab racist sentiments, blasting all the anti-Israeli people (of which there was only the one comment above). Yet there is nothing there, no Israeli bashing whatsover, just anti-Arab hate coming from Karen. Kind of a nice encapsulation of Israel's behavior in their community, she learned from her master.
karen
Megan was an one isssue like u. a lot like u
any nerds see that click and clack ?
Apparently it is easy to falsely shame the media into favoring one candidate or anotehr. Let's not forget that when Hillary's camp started in with the same "media bias" theme, the result was the unending Reverend Wright coverage to create balance... Except that I have never seen anything so unbalanced and absurd as the media obsession with Reverend Wright for weeks on end.
I suppose McCain is hoping for a similar tipping of the scales in his favor. Perhaps this whole "Obama cannot admit that the SURGE IS WORKING!" theme will take him into Labor day, while the press ignores his scandalous dearth of knowledge about Shia, Sunnis, Mideast geography, non-existent Eastern European countries, the timeline of the surge and the Anbar Awakening, etc., etc. Maybe McCain is counting on the networks to cover up his nonsensical answers in interviews.
Stranger things have happened.
invisible.
Steve Mark states: "How extraordinary a sight: An African American standing at or near the very spot where another demagogue once stood in front of hundreds of thousands of people."
A demagogue is an orator who manipulates the emotion of a crowd to incite action, particularly violent & illegal action. Neither Kennedy nor Obama was or is a demagogue. The label applies applies to Sharpton, Reagan and Bush, but not to Kennedy (inciting people to join the Peace Corp?) or Obama (inciting people to move beyond race?)
Ok, I will take your advice and try to listen harder. Thanks.
hjs,
i saw a portion of that click and clack. quite bizarre. at first, it was like watching a car crash, but it seemed to get better.
chris o states: "It is funny. One person says, "Don't forget the Israeli walls." That is all they wrote - kind of vague, certainly not hateful."
Chirs: You have to read from the beginning and keep track of who said what. It's called conversation.
chris o
guess u didn't grow up in the 1970's
@ mike How long our people treated as second classs citizens until they get fed up and fight back.
lol Chris O - your foot is going deeper and deeper in you large mouth
Please show me the Arab racism?
OR does pointing out Sudanese humanitarian crisis = racism?
Define racism?
Is criticizing an Arab regime that is slaughtering and raping thousands of innocent women and children - "racism"?
I suppose criticizing Israel or anyone else is ok, but when the target is an Arab tyranny - then somehow in your book it's racism...
That's quite typical of one-note agenda types...and very transparent---thanks for sharing!
Right back at you Mike.
It's amusing to me that the Europeans and Orientals are simply IN LOVE with all things Obama.
RAH RAH DOWN WITH THE WAR MONGERING BUSH RAH RAH! UP WITH THE PEACE LOVING OBAMA! CHEER CHEER!
Did they miss B. Hussein Obama's recent threats to unilaterally invade Pakistan (something even BUSH hasn't done)?
Or are they (like most Americans) willfully blind to the truth.
I do understand the concern that prompts comments like the one Juanna made about Obama being 'fluff'. Obama is a 'blank slate'. Juanna is right. We can't know what will happen once he is elected (and i believe he will be) BUT, if he were a stammering idiot, unable to string thoughts and opinions together and blatantly had no views or convictions, it would be obvious. He's young, but he has such confidence in his eyes. I trust this man.
chris o
you go boy!
Karen stop crying we know you hate muslims so just admit that you hate muslims and move on.
hjs,
not sure your reference but i did grow up (sort of) in the 70s, maybe late 70s early 80s.
Funny thing about those who think that McCain doesn't get asked any questions about his policy is that one of the suggestions the New York Times gave McCain if he wanted to have space on the op-ed page was that he should start defining what he means by "victory" in Iraq. So there you have it, McCain. The NYT has (indirectly, in this case) asked you a question about policy. I don't want to hear any complaints about the media not asking you anything (unless, of course, your complaint is that you just don't want to answer tough questions anyway).
#71 - agreed, the latter, to move beyond race.
BORED replies: "@ mike How long our people treated as second classs citizens until they get fed up and fight back."
Until they're all dead, from the looks of it. But I don't blame the Israelis for continuing to fight, either.
There's a lot of blame to go around in the Middle East. The Jews stole a lot of land in 1948. The Europeans felt guilty about the holocaust and did not protest on moral grounds. The Arabs were always abusive toward those not like themselves, even if they happened to live there for thousands of years and their actions after 1948 have left the Israelis little choice for how to continue.
Mirror
attacking groups hiding in pakistan not the same as invading
chris o
saturday morning cartoons. nevermind
Look in the mirror, so you are against peace? and is Oriental correct? or is it Asian?
AT last...good convo soooo late in the week.
Hi Look in the Mirror,
To whom are you referring when you say "Orientals"? I thought that word, used to describe people, went out with shag rugs and lava lamps!
In one sentence you claim Obama threatened to unilaterally invade Pakistan (something he NEVER did), then in the next you claim others (but not you apparently) are being willfully blind to the truth.
Please add something substantive to the conversation. The childish insistence on using Obama's middle name does nothing for your argument... which is what, exactly?
truth
most people say asians unless they are some archie bunker type...
hjs & Chris O & BORED - nice circle jerks!
no I'm not crying -- just sad that "people like you" smear the horrific humanitarian crisis in Sudan and elsewhere as "hating Muslims"
but, hey, dismissing it gets you off the hook for actually having to do anything about the killing and rape - good for you,,,
go back to your lives of american luxury...
after all it's only Muslims killing Muslims --
no bush or obamam or mccain-bashing involved, no Israel bashing -- so who cares!!! be BORED.
Jesse Califano- 'The unspoken word- written.'
Let's see- on the one hand, we have a freshman U.S. Senator who was a local 'community organizer' in Chicago- with only about 1-1/2 years existence in the Senate and absolutely NO experience in ANYTHING ELSE- But who can deliver a terrific speech (albeit, read from a TelePrompTer-), who is a good looking guy with a degree 'charisma', and who can deliver a 'fist-bump' with his terminally irascible wife. . .
And on the other hand- we have a honest and sincere U.S. Senator who has served the American people for over 25 years- and NEVER wrote an ear-mark expenditure in his term- A serious, thinking man leader with a proven record of leadership in the U.S. Military. . .
So let's see- will America vote in a young charismatic, fist-bumping self-absorbed rock-star to be President. . .
OR Senator John McCain, a man of integrity and with experience in governmental service and leadership-
If O-Ba-Ma wins- I suggest that future elections for high government office be conducted by the producers of- AMERICAN IDOL. . . and may the best 'Idol' win!
the truth asks: "Look in the mirror, so you are against peace? and is Oriental correct? or is it Asian?"
Just an aside: I think oriental originally referred to people from Asia Minor; Turkey, the Middle East and the western Asian subcontinent. (See Said's ground breaking book "Orientalism") Then Oriental referred to eastern Asians (Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians); 'Asian' became the polite word for 'Oriental'. However, with so many people now immigrating from the Asian subcontinent, the former Asians are now East Asians as opposed to south Asians (people from India, Pakistan & Bangladesh).
karen
like to watch?
Jesse
Wouldn't you agree the country is not governed by 1 person but rather a collective of people who inform, back, educate, counsel, and shape our governing body.
McCain had my admiration back in 2000 when he honestly and openly traveled around the US prompting folks to ask him questions. He was screwed by Rove and Co in one of the Carolina's during the primary and then allied himself later with Bush after they helped to get him out of the race. It's been a long 8 years.
Mike
east of whom??
#87 hjs
'attacking groups hiding in pakistan not the same as invading'
Please take a moment and really think about what you just said.
Then, think about this phrase:
'Territorial Sovereignty'
Websters defines DEMAGOGUE as:
Demagogue
Noun
1 : a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and FALSE claims and promises IN ORDER TO GAIN POWER.
"Willfully blind to the truth"
hjs asks: "Mike east of whom??"
The astern part of Asia, which is itself a European construct. After all, why should the Ural Mountains separate Europe from 'Asia' other than they're 'not like us'. Oriental was originally a vague term that meant little more than 'largely unknown' and 'exotic' so it could be transferred to wherever the Western imagination desired.
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