Thanks to FOX News for the transcript, found here. I'd also like to thank them for breaking the speech so nicely.
Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you to the citizens of Berlin…
Annnnnd we're off.
… and thank you to the people of Germany.
Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you, Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thanks to all of you for this extraordinary welcome. Thank you.
"And thanks so much to Patrice and Reamonn for pumping this crowd! And whoever provided all this beer! Gotta make it look good for the cameras ya know? Oh, and to all my three-letter friends out there? if you could avoid mentioning that last part in your copy later, I'd really appreciate it."
I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before, although tonight I speak to you not as a candidate for president, but as a citizen, a proud citizen of the United States and a fellow citizen of the world.
Just remember that one for later, this won't be a campaign speech. He doesn't think we're rolling tape yet. He thinks we'll miss that whole citizen of the world thing. Well, not so fast. Workers of the world unite! Sound familiar? I Guess he's trying his own version of 'hello Philadelphia!' bringing up Germany's most famous export; Marxism. Citizen of the world? I'd really love to get a look at that passport. Hey Senator, you're not a citizen of China, you're not a citizen of Brazil, your an American citizen. Do you have a problem with that? Oh, and that whole citizen of the world thing? that's how advocates of an open-borders immigration policy justify their views.
I know that I don’t look like the Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city.
"And did I mention... he's black?" There he goes again, playing the race card when he feels like it, and yanking it away when he doesn't want to have to deal with the implications.
The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya.
You know? I'd describe this journey a little differently. Kind of like this, "I was a former academic and community organizer who sat on the back benches of the Illinois State Senate and then served about 143 days of one term consisting of little noteworthy legislative accomplishment as my state's junior Senator. Now, I stand before you as my party's nominee to be the President of the United States." On a side note, have we officially, officially established exactly where Senator Obama was born yet? That is not a rhetorical question.
His father…
Waits for the laughter/applaus to die down.
His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant to the British. At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning, his dream required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West. And so he wrote letter after letter to universities all across America until somebody, somewhere answered his prayer for a better life.
This should not go unnoticed. America has always been the place saught by those who desired freedom and happiness in their lives. And God-willing, it shall always be thus.
That is why I am here. And you are here because you, too, know that yearning. This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom.
Because this city, of all cities, has ripped those dreams from the hearts of so many.
And you know that the only reason we stand here tonight is because men and women from both of our nations came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life.
Hmm, he's venturing on to dangerous ground here. He's putting America and Germany on equal moral footing in that sentence, and that's.... how can I put this? wrong. So wrong it might demand a separate post on the matter. I'll think about it.
Ours is a partnership that truly began 60 years ago this summer, on the day when the first American plane touched down at Tempelhof. On that day…
Partnership. Interesting word choice there. I would use May 8 1945 as the significant date, but that's just me. Onward.
On that day, much of this continent still lay in ruin. The rubble of this city had yet to be built into a wall. The Soviet shadow had swept across Eastern Europe, while in the West, America, Britain and France took their stock of their losses and pondered how the world might be remade.
Oh. Most of Europe lay in ruin. Why was that again?
This is where the two sides met. And on the 24th of June, 1948, the communists chose to blockade the western part of the city. They cut off food and supplies to more than 2 million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin.
Barack Obama says publically that communists did bad things. And pigs do fly.
The size of our forces was no match for the larger Soviet army, and yet retreat would have allowed communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun. And all that stood in the way was Berlin.
So there was a war. Who started it, I wonder? About that whole speaking truth to power thing. OK, I'll stop now.
And that’s when the airlift began, when the largest and most unlikely rescue in the history brought food and hope to the people of this city.
The odds were stacked against success. In the winter, a heavy fog filled the sky above, and many planes were forced to turn back without dropping off the needed supplies. The streets where we stand were filled with hungry families who had no comfort from the cold.
Small point here; planes usually don't turn back. The Airforce isn't in the habit of knowingly launching missions into bad weather. You might think I'm stretching here, but for me, it's another example of Obama frequently stating things which are simply not accurate.
But in the darkest hours, the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up.
The people of Berlin refused to give up? How about Harry Truman? Is he going to make an appearance in the near future? Where was all this food coming from? And that darkest hour? If Senator Obama had his way, that's exactly when our troops would have started leaving Iraq.
And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city’s mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. “There is only one possibility,” he said. “For us to stand together united until this battle is won, the people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty,” he said, “and we will keep on doing our duty. People of the world, now do your duty. People of the world, look at Berlin.”
People of the world, look at Berlin. Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.
Ah, we've come to it at last. I really wasn't sure we were going to make it here. The fact is, Germany surrendered and most of Europe was in too bad of shape to do much about it. America rebuilt Berlin, America fed the people of Berlin, America saved West Germany from communism. And naturally, America is hated on the streets of Germany for it.
Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle, where a — where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.
Once again, America was the Marshall Plan. America rebuilt Europe. I'm really hammering here but this point can not be stated and restated often enough. And I'm not trying to blackball the contributions of the countries that helped, they did what they could. But history is history and I'm tired of seeing it papered over just so we can all get along.
Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.
Senator? that is not what "never forget" means. For him to stand in the middle of Germany and try to soft-peddle never forget as meaning whatever exactly he just said it means is appalling and disgraceful. Never forget the heights to which evil was allowed to rise in this world. Never forget the price we pay to free the world from that evil. Never Forget the boys we ask the unspeakable of so that others might be saved. Never forget those who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. And most sacred of all, never forget the six million Jews. Again, in Germany of all places...
People of the world, look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.
I see we're on a roll here. When has the world stood as one? Answer; never. The Berlin Wall came down because the world was not united under communism. Courageous freedom loving people--such as a President, a Prime Minister, and a Pope--fought against an evil empire and prevailed. I'm really disgusted at this point.
Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall — a wall that divided East and West, freedom and tyranny, fear and hope — walls came tumbling down around the world.
Again, the elevation of symbolism over fact. The wall was torn down because the Soviets lacked both the will and the power to keep it fortified. Never mind, I give up.
From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened, too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st century has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history.
Funny enough, I don't have much of a problem with this one.
The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers, dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean.
Obama adresses terrorism in the middle of Europe? Pinch me.
Think about it. The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil.
Uh-oh, my fact radar just went off. I remember being surprised when I read a while ago that the number of foreign nationals killed on September 11th was actually really low. Something like less than 50 of the 2,800 people killed that day were not American citizens. It could be me who's wrong though. I still think the point is valid, even if poorly illustrated.
As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.
Oooh! I knew this was coming. See what I mean? that statement is simply wrong. If you look at the numbers--and there's a lot out there that discourages you from actually doing that--you will see that the amount of arctic ice is not at a historically low level. The same goes for this nonsense about coastlines. And I'm sure that drought occurs every year, somewhere, sometime. But there's no spiraling trend in the data, and there's never been a causal relationship established even if there were.
Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan come to Berlin in the form of heroin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.
Well said.
In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. And that is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone.
Yes. It sure would be nice to get some help once in a while.
None of us can deny these threats or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. If we’re honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart and forgotten our shared destiny.
Deny? That's an interesting word to use there. Again, the whole in Germany thing.
In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help us 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.
Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. C'mon, I know you laughed. Thanks to Jed Babbin for that one. How many people did Europe free from totalitarianism last year? The last five years? Canada and America would like to thank NATO's help in Afghanistan however.
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.
Uh, who is he talking about? He's in Germany, so is "our country" Germany? He's a citizen of the world after all. He might be talking about America but I'm not sure.
Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together.
a-Ha, there it is again, global citizen.
A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more, not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the only way, the one way to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.
What? Do more, not less. Sounds ominous to me, vaguely fascist in fact.
That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.
Does he know something I don't know? Are we actually going to build that fence along the Mexican border?
The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes, natives and immigrants, Christians and Muslims and Jews cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.
Oh. God. He actually did use the D word right after the T word. I can't believe it. Notably, these are new walls which, you know, don't actually, you know, exist. The wall "between natives and immigrants," that wall he's talking about there is called the law, right? Just for reference, the Berlin Wall was an actual wall, it was ten feet tall, and if you tried to scale it or dig under it and were caught you were shot down in the street. I just wanted to clear that up. And some quick translation for you: "the wall between the countries with the most and those with the least can not stand." This means the following: "Hey Mr. American taxpayer. If I am elected, my government will put a gun to your head and force you to give me some of your money so I can give it to people in whatever countries I want. Not because they have earned your money, but just because they don't have it and that's not fair." Again, just clearing things up.
We know — we know that these walls have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a union of promise and prosperity. Here, at the base of a column built to mark victory in war, we meet in the center of a Europe at peace.
I think you'll find that the European Union isn't that popular with the man on the street in Europe. That's why the European Union Constitution is having so much trouble passing.
Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they’ve come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together; in the Balkans, where our Atlantic alliance ended wars and brought savage war criminals to justice; and in South Africa, where the struggle of a courageous people defeated apartheid.
Just for the record, the walls--the real walls--are still up in Belfast.
So history reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy, of peace and progress. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other, and, most of all, trust each other.
You know? I agree. It would be nice if other countries shared the burdens of foreign aid around the world. I believe the last figure I saw was that the United States pays about 96% of total foreign aid. I know that America funds most of the budget for the United Nations every year. And I know that is not what he's talking about here. "Sustained sacrifice?" Just who do you suppose he intends to make most of the sacrifices? I'll give you a hint; It starts with U, and there's an S somewhere.
That is why America cannot turn inward. That is why Europe cannot turn inward. America has no better partner than Europe.
Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that binds us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, and strong institutions, and shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
I do believe that we're gently veering into campaign speech terratory here. It's starting to sound like most of his speeches at any rate. Which means we're also veering into Marxism. There's that sacrifice word again. He doesn't really mean the sharing part, it just sounds better than 'you're life is about to change as you know it.' What's that his wife said? "Barack will not allow you to go back to your lives as usual." Don't think she doesn't mean it. Exactly what are these strong institutions he speaks of? We already know what a sham the United Nations has become. That would be a corrupt, anti-American, anti-semitic cesspool. Or maybe that's exactly the model Senator Obama wants to use. Oh, and "global commitment to progress". You know what that means? It means 'hey American, time to share the wealth. Time for your day in the sun to come to an end. Because it just ain't fair.' That big fancy car you want, sorry, you've already got a fancy car. You've gotta buy a smaller one. You can't turn your air conditioning up past 25, too much energy, government says so. You can't build that 5,000 squarefoot dream house, too much energy to heat it and cool it. Sorry, you can't take more than one vacation a year, cause moving you around puts you over your carbon footprint. You think I'm exaggerating? I haven't even started. Once you agree that it's all for the planet and it's all for the greater good, you're only allowed to do what the bureaucrats say you are.
It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations, and all nations, must summon that spirit anew.
This is the moment when we must defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it. This threat is real, and we cannot shrink from our responsibility to combat it.
I take it back. If the words islamic and terrorism ever escaped this man's lips, in that order, he would fall to the ground stone dead.
If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman, in London and Bali, in Washington and New York. If we could win a battle of ideas against the communists, we can stand with the vast majority of Muslims who reject the extremism that leads to hate instead of hope.
Yes yes. Talking has done so much to discourage Iran from attemtping to build those nuclear weapons he was talking about just a few minutes ago.
This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets.
Yay!
No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO’s first mission beyond Europe’s borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done.
You know what would have been nice. If he had replace Afghanistan with the word Iraq there. That would have been nice.
America can’t do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops, our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaida, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now.
You mean we can't just pull out? You mean, we have to... send troops?
This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons.
Huh?
The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom.
Wait a minute. The pursuit of nuclear weapons ended the cold war. The endless Soviet build-up consumed valuable resources. The Soviet attempt to construct missile defense went a long way to bankrupting the evil empire.
It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials, to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.
There is nothing wrong with nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons ended World War II. They have saved millions of lives during their existence. There is something wrong with nuclear weapons being possessed by despots and dictators who care nothing for their own people.
This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad.
The shadows of yesterday are a good thing to have. Honouring and being mindful of history is important, maybe the most important quality for a leader to have. That Senator Obama doesn't think so is quite telling.
In this century, in this city of all cities, we must reject the Cold War mindset of the past and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent.
This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that opens markets have created and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development, but we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few and not the many.
No problem with trade here. I think the line was supposed to be, "we must build on the wealth that open markets have created and share its benefits more equitably." I have a big problem with countries demanding that we take everything they send us while denying us the right to sell what we make. If open markets create wealth, open more markets and the wealth will come on its own. What should sharing have to do with anything?
Together — together, we must forge trade that truly rewards the work that creates wealth, with meaningful protections for our people and our planet. This is the moment for trade that is free and fair for all.
Ah, see? not free trade after all. Like all politicians, he wants you to know that your job is safe.
This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Would you like to Fed-Ex that Mr. Obama, or might the regular postal service do?
We must support the Lebanese who’ve marched and bled for democracy and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace.
And to hell with those who have not sought that peace.
And despite — despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close.
That despite past differences thing? he should've stopped right there. How about: "This is the moment when the world stands along side the millions of Iraqis who rejoyce in their new freedom, as we continue to work towards the day when the security of our soldiers is no longer needed and they can return home with pride and honour."
This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children to a world where the oceans rise, and famine spreads, and terrible storms devastate our lands.
We can stop famine and terrible storms? Alert the media! Hey Senator, are you sure this is the moment? You haven't been elected yet. Just saying.
Let us resolve that all nations, including my own, will act with the same seriousness of purpose as has your nation and reduce the carbon we send into our atmosphere.
Again, he's just wrong. If you look at those pesky numbers you'll see that carbon is the trailer, not the leader. The climate changes and then the carbon level moves.
This — this is the moment to give our children back their future. This is the moment to stand as one. And this is the moment when we must give hope to those left behind in a globalized world.
"Give their children back their future?" Does he know something we don't?
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.
Um, I'm pretty sure it was fought for land actually. With land comes more people to suck into the communist machine. Believe it or not That's really how it worked.
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.
Yes, you can see the love and loyalty on the streets of Berlin. You just have to look really, really, really, really hard.
Now the world will watch and remember what we do here, what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity, by security and justice?
Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, and shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time?
*singing* One of these things is not like the others. AIDS? Where'd that come from?
Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words “never again” in Darfur?
Well, seeing as we were stripping words of their previous meaning a few minutes ago...
Will we acknowledge — will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we…
And with that, we enter the America bashing portion of the speech. Unbelievable. Which is the only country that is accused in the mainstream press of torture? it's the United States. Countries that actually torture their citizens like China, Cuba, Iran, these countries are all given a free pass by the chattering class. But Senator Obama takes this opportunity to lecture and talk down to his own country on foreign soil, on German soil! Of all the places in the world! This man is an absolute disgrace.
Will we — will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don’t look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?
The lecture continues. Wow.
People of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment. This is our time.
Are we lifting from Bono now? I think he lifted that one from Bono. Or Deval Patrick.
I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.
Is he apologizing? He is. He actually is apologizing for the sins of America, in the middle of Berlin! The words to express what I'm feeling right now? I don't even think their safe to blog. I know a newspaper would never print them. In the history of history itself, no country has done more good in the world than America has done. No country has spread more freedom and produced more productivity and happiness than America. In America, the life or the poorest poverty stricken person is better than it is in most other countries on Earth. Has life in America always been perfect for everyone? no. And no one is more aware and ashamed of that history than Americans are. For a sitting United States Senator to journey to the centre of Europe and apologize for the sins of America to the citizens of a country responsible for more human misery than nearly any other reaches the lowest depths of moral depravity.
But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived, at great cost and great sacrifice, to form a more perfect union, to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world.
BS! I'm sorry, but there it is. Because if you actually felt that love in your heart, there is nothing, no turture in the world that could make you say about your country what you just said.
Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom; indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares.
Indeed. For example, clearly Senator you feel no particular allegiance to your fellow Americans or even for your country itself. And proof of the later is illustrated simply by the fact that your last few statements will be tolerated by so many back home.
What has always united us, what has always driven our people, what drew my father to America’s shores is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want, that we can speak our minds, and assemble with whomever we choose, and worship as we please.
Well gee, it sure did take a long time for him to get there. Me? I would've said that and left all the anti-America propaganda crap out.
Those are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart.
I don't know. Wanting to control every aspect of your citizens' lives is a pretty strong desire too. It's proven really popular over the whole of human history in fact.
It is because of those aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of these aspirations that all free people, everywhere, became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit — it is in pursuit of these aspirations that a new generation, our generation, must make our mark on the world.
You know? People can want to be free all they like. Sometimes it takes more. Sometimes it takes determination and courage. Sometimes it even takes lots of people with guns.
People of Berlin and people of the world, the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long.
But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye towards the future, with resolve in our heart, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again.
Knowing more and more about this man everyday, I'm really not sure I want to see the world he wants to make. Because I don't think it would be very different from the world that others who came before him wanted to make. People who want to remake the world tend not to think very highly about those who disagree with them. The world they create usually doesn't look like they thought it would, and they leave a lot of bodies for other people to clean up.
Thank you, Berlin. God bless you. Thank you. Thank you.
And if this man ever so much as goes on another tour of the White House, God help America.
