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Obama’s Berlin Campaign Rally Too Presumptuous

Obama Takes Over Hillary's Inevitability

In the wake of Obama’s Berlin speech, the media debates whether Obama is too presumptuous.

ABC World News reported:

“To his admirers, it was a soaring speech, with a new vision. To his detractors, it was presumptuous that a candidate for president would deliver a speech as if he were president.”

Michael Finnegan reports “the staging of the Berlin event has led critics to accuse Obama of being presumptuous about winning the White House:”

But critics, led by Obama’s Republican rival John McCain, said the Democrat’s speech showed that he was presumptuous about the presidency.

“While Barack Obama took a premature victory lap today in the heart of Berlin, proclaiming himself a ‘citizen of the world,’ John McCain continued to make his case to the American citizens who will decide this election,” McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said.

At ABC News, Rick Klein also hit the presumptuousness theme:

To Obama’s critics, the speech in Berlin is likely to serve as another example of presumptuousness on the part of the Illinois Democrat. Obama has already been criticized for his presidential-like entourage and trappings during his foreign trip — a trip that has an itinerary that’s unprecedented for a candidate.

“I’d love to give a speech in Germany,” McCain said on the trail in Ohio Thursday, “but I’d much prefer to do it as President.”

To drive home the contrast, McCain on Thursday campaigned in the German Village section of Columbus, Ohio, where he chatted with German-Americans at “Schmidt’s Sausage Haus und Restaurant.”

Obama originally wanted to hold his Berlin campaign rally at the Brandenburg Gate. According to Reuters, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the landmark Brandenburg Gate was a place for presidents, not candidates to speak.

Merkel’s advisers failed to convince the Obama to hold the speech at a university or other low-key location.

Obama needs to be reminded that he is not yet president. You have his attempt to make a Presidential-like speech in Berlin, the Obama Presidential Seal, a ‘President’ label on the headrest of Obama’s campaign plane seat, and the fact that twice in recent days reporters had to correct Obama staffers for saying White House practices govern Obama’s dealing with the press.

This all reminds me of Hillary’s “inevitable” campaign.

COMMENTS

  • Wilmington

    Please see the first sentence of his speech – yes it is apparent the motive but the reality is what it is… McCain asked for it and at this point John McCain cannot even hold a crowds attention in a dairy isle at the local supermarket. I do not have confindence in McCain any longer. Have to say that Obama looked good up there… just saying.

    • Darin_H

      is going to be negative to McCain?

  • spainishirish

    that it may have cost him the election already. Americans don’t like presumptions of “inevitability.” Hillary would be the Democratic nominee and next president of the United States if she had ignored her advisors and not adopted this strategy. It is ironic that Obama has decided to embrace what cost his primary opponent the nomination.

    • Vegas_Rick

      of course his comments on McCain will be negative. That’s seems to be what trolls do, misspell words and spew pointless negative drivel. :)

  • RedShep

    Obama speaks to Berlin!
    The crowd goes wild!
    The media weighs in!
    Link to Cliff Notes version

    • blooch

      …just saying.

      • Vegas_Rick

        Obama and his campaign need to get out more. And, by out more, I mean away from the adoring masses. They need to read web sites other than their own and DKos and Move-On. They?re living a sheltered life and really think this guy is our messiah. If that weren?t the case, they wouldn?t make such stupid moves as passing up the trip to the Army hospital. Not appropriate? Get real. Yeah, get real.

  • DrJaysonFoster

    …their places in history:

    “Now the world will watch and remember what we do here .” Barack Obama in Berlin

    “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here.” Abe Lincoln in Gettysburg

  • WOSG

    All “I can do great things” and no real accomplishments to back them up.
    That is what is arrogant and presumptuous about his campaign. They presume that merely claiming qualifications in his Hype and Chains campaign ‘proves’ he is qualified.

    Only young naive, koolaid drinkers fall for it. Like this comment I saw on JustOneMinute …

    The Charlie Gibson interview with Obama was pretty good, based on the transcript. I particularly like this comment:

    Gibson: But just because you put the word tough in front of the word diplomacy doesn’t necessarily mean that you get anywhere.

    • blooch

      grows tiresome. May he spike the ball into his crotch.

      • Darin_H

        n/t

  • JTaylor

    Obama’s nuts –

    no blade exists large enough to do the job.

    I have wondered about the Charles Krauthammer statement last week that never has the gap between self-assessment and accomplishment been as wide as with Obama.

    Now I realize why Obama thinks so highly of himself as everything he has accomplished in life that the rest of us view as requiring concerted personal effort — (1) getting into prep school, (2) admission to Columbia, (3) admission to Harvard Law, (4) selection for Harvard Law Review, (5) selection as editor of HLR, (6) graduating from Harvard Law with honors (7) election to the Illinois State Legislature (8) election to U.S. Senate (9) writing two autobiographies before the age of 40(?), and now (10) presumptive nominee for Democrat Party was handed to Obama without any rigorous effort on his part. He was an affirmative action admission to college and law school, he was the first HLR editor to not publish (who writes their autobiography twice before age 40?), it is already documented that he has taken credit for the efforts of others every just about every step of his life (think asbestos removal from Chicago south side buildings to banking committee legislation). Why wouldn?t this empty suit think we should drop the formality of an election and just slap a crown around those elephant ears? However with the price of metal these days ? we could never afford a crown that would fit that inflated ego ? nor can Jesse afford a blade large enough for the job?

    (Do I have to be respectful of Obama?)

    • WOSG

      Obama needs to be reminded that he is not yet president.

      Correct, he is still just an applicant for the job. And if you have ever had to do an interview, either as candidate or as hiring manager, a sure hire-killing turnoff is the guy who’s starts acting like he’s already hired and thinks critical questions and the hiring process are an annoyance.

      “That company logo? I think its a bit bland. Needs new colors. You should try the motto “Vero Possomus.” “

      • JTaylor

        Well heck — if we want someone who can look good and speak a line — may I nominate Harrison Ford?

        At least he has more experience than Obama having already played POTUS in the movies.

        This is the problem with these naive, young, and trolls — they don’t have the maturity of life to understand that “looking good” isn’t enough there has to be experience, substance, accomplishments and in all of these Obama is smoke.

  • LibRick

    Actually JT, your 1 through 9 look really good on paper! But, as I’m sure you agree, paper don’t make a President.

    It reminds of the resume padding that’s way too common these days … Applicant says they were a key player on a project when, in fact, they just delivered coffee to the principles. Well that’s “key” sort of?? Isn’t it???

  • itrytobenice

    James Taranto elucidates my position better than I can. (Is that what makes a good opinion writer? I think so.)

    From Best of the Web Today:

    This underscores what bothers us about the whole spectacle. If Obama had waited six months and delivered this speech as president, we might have objected to some of its substance (if any). But we’d say it is bad form for him to give a speech overseas that his audience will interpret, as Sp?rl did, as coming from the next president of the United States. If he becomes president, Obama will have earned the right to speak on behalf of America. We the people are entitled to have our say first.(

  • blooch

    “This is our moment. This is our time.” –Jeebus H. O’bono