Blog Buzz: Barack Obama Mania in Germany, the Latest Campaign Poll Results and Ads
Obama speaks in Berlin, McCain makes headway in the swing states and releases a new Obama-Castro ad
Oba-Germania
Obama's speech in Berlin is creating a lot of buzz in the blogosphere and in the European press. Liberal bloggers think the speech will give Obama a boost. The Bush administration banned State Department officials from attending, though some conservatives don't mind. Obama is getting flak from the conservatives for canceling his visit to U.S. military bases in Germany to "go shopping in Berlin," and for the speech location. McCain, meanwhile, is doing his best to compete by ... lunching in a German restaurant.
Polls, Polls, and More Polls
Recent polls show McCain is making progress in key swing states, and conservatives love it. Liberals are smiling over an MSNBC poll that shows Obama maintaining a 6-point lead over McCain and another that reports Israelis prefer Obama over McCain. Other polls look at what voters want in a vice president. Yet another poll focused on the potential first ladies and found Michelle Obama will most likely be a greater factor in November than will Cindy McCain. Do polls matter at all this far out? Give us your thoughts.
Campaign Ad News
Liberals are condemning McCain's latest ad, which places Barack Obama side by side with Fidel Castro and features a quote from Castro that endorses Obama. One blogger noted the inaccuracies in the connection between Castro and Obama, and McCain's lack of a "sense of class." On the Obama ad front, his recent $5 million Olympic ad package purchase is making waves.
—Gretchen Hannes and Johannah Cornblatt
Reader Comments
America will gain respect
With Obama to deal with the international world, America will once again be respected and that would eleviate the domestic internal pains the US is going through. If the world respects Obama like this, wake up America, this is our chance to achieve what we need as a nation.
Obama speaking to foreign leaders
I have always been opposed to the idea of "candidates" speaking to foreign leaders (whether European, Middle East, or whatever) prior to being elected to the office of President.
I think it is highly inappropriate for any pre-elected candidate (whether McCain or Obama) to be traveling to foreign nations and discussing U.S. foreign policy prior to them getting the job. This is Obama extending his political campaign to an overseas media event.
And regarding this idea of Obama uniting all of us......the words he spoke over in Germany say that we need to break down the walls between Christian and Muslim. If those words mean to do away with the hatred, then we should all support that. However, I will never accept the idea that I have to agree with another person's religious beliefs if those beliefs are in direct conflict with mine.
We all need to keep in mind that there will always be differences between religious beliefs....we just all need to get to the point where we allow everyone the freedom to believe whatever they want to believe without the fear of being persecuted.
We can all live on this "one world" together....but there will always be diffences between all of us. And there will always be different countries and governments. We should be able (and allowed) to live with those differences, just so long as those differences don't spawn hatred or physical and economic harm to each other. Now, if that is what Obama is talking about when he says breaking down the walls...then I'm all for that. But again...he needs to be saying those words here in America...not overseas (acting like he already is the President)
And one more thing Mr. Obama....if you were trying to look like JFK by speaking in Berlin....I was alive when Kennedy was President...I heard him speak......Mr. Obama, your no Kennedy (not even close).
OBAMA UNITING AND PARADIGM SHIFTING
OBAMA UNITING AND PARADIGM SHIFTING IN THE AMERICAN CULTURAL WAR
Obama is politically uniting Blacks and Whites, Christians and Muslims, Kennedy Liberals and Reagan Conservatives, Europeans and Americans; the Podhoretz Neo-Cons and the Leiberman Neo-Libs are screaming the screams of damned, “Crucify him!”; and the World is singing, “God Bless America”.
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