Sen. Barack Obama's speech in Berlin is generating extensive, and generally positive, media coverage, which casts the Illinois senator's foreign trip as a largely successful attempt to present him to the American people as a potential commander in chief. As the Wall Street Journal puts it, Obama sought "to burnish his image as a global statesman," which "a spokesman for Sen. McCain called...'a premature victory lap.'" Obama "confidently walked onto a stage at the foot of Berlin's Victory Column to intermittent chants of 'Obama, Obama, Obama!' Some in the crowd compared the address to the rock concerts and sports events that sometimes draw hundreds of thousands of people to the Tiergarten." The Chicago Tribune says the setting "evoked historic addresses by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan," and "offered an opportunity" for Obama "to demonstrate his capacity to represent American ideals to the international public," and USA Today says Obama "is betting he can win votes at home by proving he can win hearts abroad."
All three networks led with the story last night. NBC Nightly News reported, "As one local journalist here put it, if the election were held today, Barack Obama could sail to victory by a margin of seventy percent or more as president of Germany, perhaps even all of Europe. The only problem is Senator Obama is running for President of the United States." The CBS Evening News reported, "They've been calling this the 'Obama Show' in Berlin. His appeal here, part exotic politician, part rock star. And a rock festival-sized crowd of more than 200,000 gathered to see him." Obama "told them a lot of what they wanted to hear, that Europe and the US had drifted apart and that he would pull them back together."
The Washington Post says Obama "has generated enormous enthusiasm in Europe, in part because many here see him as an antidote to President Bush, during whose presidency America's image and reputation abroad have declined." The New York Times reports that "without naming...Bush or going into detail about European disenchantment with the Iraq war and other policies of the current administration, he suggested the United States would become a better partner, but called on European countries to uphold their responsibilities." The Politico, however, says that "in a sign of the resistance he could face as president, Obama drew more applause for his call to end genocide in Darfur than for his plea that Europe commit more resources to the war in Afghanistan." NBC Nightly News showed Obama saying, "The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic 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."
The London Times (UK) reports, "The substance of the speech was somewhat thin -- it was, in the end, merely an appeal to work more closely together -- but like all good sermons it had a strong undertone of repentance. 'I know my country has not perfected itself,' said Mr Obama, '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.'"
Crowd May Have Been Even Larger The Washington Times says "officials estimated that the crowd was one of the largest in Berlin's history; the range was from 200,000 from the campaign to as many as a half-million from the German Embassy in the United States." The campaign "carefully crafted the event, which was helped by perfect weather, and said the footage might be seen in a political ad."
Obama Camp Uses Speech In Fundraising Appeal The AP reports that Obama's campaign "used the speech to raise money later Thursday, sending out an e-mail appeal with links to video of Obama's speech and to the campaign donation website. 'In a city where a wall once divided the free from the oppressed, he talked about tearing down the walls that divide all peoples so we can address our common problems -- the threats of terrorism and nuclear weapons, global warming and genocide, AIDS and poverty,' campaign manager David Plouffe wrote." In a posting on the 'Political Punch' blog on the website of ABC News, Jake Tapper says the move "is certainly going to be used as ammunition for those critics who wondered about the true purpose of this 'non political' trip."
McCain Camp Critical The Hill notes that in a statement, Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, said, "Barack Obama offered eloquent praise for this country, but the contrast is clear. John McCain has dedicated his life to serving, improving and protecting America. Barack Obama spent an afternoon talking about it."
A debate is breaking out in the media in the wake of Sen. Barack Obama's speech before a massive crowd in Berlin yesterday, focusing on whether the candidate is overstepping himself. As ABC World News reported in its lead story, "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." Later in its broadcast, ABC World News interviewed several residents of Ohio, who had a mixed opinion of the event. The Los Angeles Times said "the staging of the Berlin event has led critics to accuse Obama of being presumptuous about winning the White House," while the AP reports, "Calculated political ploy. Timely foreign outreach. A dash of each? Ask voters across the country about Barack Obama's image-packed week of foreign travel and you'll get a mix of admiration, suspicion, even a couple of bored shrugs."
European Officials Said To Be Wary Of Obama On its front page, the New York Times reports that "European governments and politicians are not so sure" how they feel about Obama, as he "was vague on crucial issues of trade, defense and foreign policy that currently divide Washington from Europe and are likely to continue to do so even if he becomes president -- issues ranging from Russia, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan to new refueling tankers and chlorinated chickens, the focus of an 11-year European ban on American poultry imports."
Brooks Says Obama's Optimistic Rhetoric Has "Jumped The Shark" In his New York Times column, David Brooks says when he "first heard" Obama's "sort of radically optimistic speech in Iowa, I have to confess my American soul was stirred. It seemed like the overture for a new yet quintessentially American campaign. But now it is more than half a year on, and the post-partisanship of Iowa has given way to the post-nationalism of Berlin, and it turns out that the vague overture is the entire symphony. The golden rhetoric impresses less, the evasion of hard choices strikes one more." But he "has grown accustomed to putting on this sort of saccharine show for the rock concert masses, and in Berlin his act jumped the shark."
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ABC World News reported, "It was no coincidence: John McCain visited a German ethnic neighborhood in Columbus, OH, today, and made some pointed comments about the Obama speech in Berlin." McCain was shown saying, "I'd love to give a speech in Germany, a political speech, a speech that maybe the German people would be interested in, but I'd much prefer to do it as President of the United States." The Los Angeles Times reports that during his stop at "Schmidt's Restaurant und Sausage Haus," McCain "held a brief media availability and immediately pressed what is becoming one of his party's main narratives in this year's campaign: that Obama is prematurely, and arrogantly, assuming the trappings of the presidency."
CNN's Situation Room noted that at the restaurant, McCain "sat down with small business owners to talk about the economy, health care and gas prices." The New York Times reports, "At every stop that was supposed to be about the economy, energy or health care, Mr. McCain faced questions about Mr. Obama's foreign trip and spent as much time reacting to his opponent as pushing his own domestic plans."
While Sen. Barack Obama may be getting all the air time for his meetings with foreign leaders this week, Sen. John McCain has a little summit of his own planned. USA Today reports that McCain "planned to meet with the Dalai Lama today in a show of solidarity with the Tibetan spiritual leader and as a rebuke to China's treatment of the people he represents. 'I've been a great admirer of the Dalai Lama,' McCain told reporters Thursday while campaigning in Ohio, calling the Dalai Lama 'a transcendent international role model and hero."" The AP reports that the Tibet issue "has attracted increased attention this year with China hosting the Summer Olympics. The Dalai Lama was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in October, in a ceremony attended by President Bush."
A new set of battleground polls out yesterday from Quinnipiac University shows Sen. John McCain regaining some ground in the presidential contest. In Colorado, McCain has regained the lead over Sen. Barack Obama, topping him 46%-44% after trailing 49%-44% in a similar survey last month. In Michigan, where McCain has been making a push in the last month, he trails Obama 46%-42%, closing a 48%-42% gap slightly. Obama holds a narrow 46%-44% lead in Minnesota, which will play host to the GOP national convention, down from a 54%-37% lead a month ago. In Wisconsin, Obama leads McCain 50%-39%, down slightly from a 52%-39% lead last month.
Quinnipiac pollster Peter Brown said that Obama's "post-primary bubble hasn't burst, but it is leaking a bit. It's been a good month for Sen. John McCain. His movement in these key states, not large except for Minnesota, jibes with the tightening we are seeing in the national poll." Brown added, "One reason for McCain's progress may be the energy issue. The results show increased support for additional drilling -- which McCain supports and Obama opposes. Roughly one in ten voters say they have changed their minds and now favor drilling because of the jump in energy prices. They support Obama, but with voters saying that the energy issue is now more important to their presidential vote than is the war in Iraq, this group represents an opportunity for the Republican." The polls surveyed 1,425 likely voters in Colorado, 1,684 in Michigan, 1,261 in Minnesota, and 1,094 in Wisconsin from July 14-22.
In other new polls:
Obama Up Three In Fox Poll A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll of 900 registered voters taken July 22-23 shows Barack Obama leading John McCain 40%-37% with Ralph Nader pulling 2% and Bob Barr attracting 0%. If 3rd Party candidates are not included, Obama leads McCain 41%-40%.
Obama Up 2 In Gallup Tracking The Gallup daily presidential tracking poll shows Obama leading McCain 45%-43%, down from a 46%-42% lead yesterday. The poll surveyed 2,660 registered voters from July 21-23.
Obama Up 4 In Rasmussen Tracking The Rasmussen Reports automated daily presidential tracking poll for July 24 shows Obama leading McCain 45%-41%. Including leaners, Obama leads 48%-45%.
Obama Leads By 5 In Pennsylvania A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 700 likely Pennsylvania voters taken July 23 shows Obama leading McCain 47%-42%.
Obama Leads By 6 In New Hampshire A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 700 likely New Hampshire voters taken July 23 shows Obama leading McCain 47%-41%, down from a 50%-39% lead a month ago.
Obama Up Big Among Hispanics McClatchy reports this morning that a new poll from the Pew Hispanic Center shows Obama leading McCain 66%-23% among Hispanics.
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Amid signs that a majority of the American public now backs the GOP's pro-production energy policy, House Republicans thwarted a Democratic energy bill yesterday. The New York Times reports, "House Democrats failed Thursday in their efforts to force the Bush administration to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower gasoline prices as Republicans stuck to their demands for a vote on an expansion of offshore drilling." The bill "to draw 70 million barrels of light crude oil from the reserve for sale in the commercial market did not receive the two-thirds support needed under special rules" as Republicans "held together to stall the measure."
The AP says Republicans "scuttled" the measure, which "Democratic leaders had brought...up for debate under rules requiring a two-thirds vote to pass." The Hill says, "House Democrats for the third time in a row have failed to move a key part of their energy agenda forward." Republicans "derided the majority's continued use of the suspension calendar, which is motivated in part to avoid votes on drilling in coastal waters."
CNN's The Situation Room reported the failure of the bill to release oil from the SPR was "one more example of the deadlock over sky-high gas prices. While there's no shortage of proposals, the main battle comes down to whether to allow new domestic drilling."
WPost Urges Pelosi To Allow Drilling Vote In an editorial, the Washington Post writes, "There's a serious debate to be had over whether Congress should lift the ban on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf that has been in place since 1981. Unfortunately, you won't be hearing it in the House of Representatives -- certainly, you won't find lawmakers voting on it -- anytime soon." House Speaker Nancy "Pelosi is correct that drilling is no panacea for the nation's energy woes. The short-term effect of lifting the moratorium, if there were any, would be minimal. That doesn't mean the country shouldn't consider expanded drilling as one of many alternatives."
Pump Prices Fall As US Drivers Cut Back The Washington Times reports, "Gasoline prices appear to have peaked for the summer and oil prices are not far behind, thanks to significant cutbacks in driving and increases in fuel efficiency." Pump prices "have declined from a high of $4.11 a gallon a week ago to $4.03, and have dropped below $4 in parts of Virginia, Maryland and 24 other states, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic."
The Financial Times reports, "Sales of previously-owned homes in the US tumbled by 2.6 per cent in June, much more than forecast by economists, spreading more gloom across the damaged US housing industry." The National Association of Realtors said "existing home sales dropped from an annual rate of 4.99m units in May to 4.86m units last month the lowest in a decade and 15.5 per cent below its pace in June 2007."
The AP notes "sales of existing homes dropped in all regions of the country in June except the West, which posted a 1 percent sales increase." Analysts "said the slight sales rebound in the West reflected big price declines in many parts of California that are helping to make homes affordable once again." USA Today runs a similar story. NBC Nightly News reported, June's an important month in home buying in the United States, and analysts were...surprised sales in June fell 2.6% compared to May." The CBS Evening News reported there is now "a glut of unsold homes, the second biggest supply in nearly a quarter century."
In response, the New York Times reports, "Financial shares plunged, snapping a six-session winning streak, as profit-taking dragged the Dow Jones industrial average down 283.10 points, or 2.43 percent, to 11,349.28, its worst loss in a month." The "sell-off in financial shares brought down the broader market. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index declined 29.65 points, or 2.31 percent, to 1,252.54, and the Nasdaq composite index declined 45.77 points, or 1.97 percent, to 2,280.11."
Jobless Claims Spike The AP reports, "Two cornerstones of the economy -- jobs and housing -- sank to new depths Thursday, with unemployment claims bolting higher and home prices recording one of their steepest drops on record." The Labor Department "said the number of newly laid-off people filing for unemployment benefits rose to 406,000 last week, a jump of a seasonally adjusted 34,000." The Wall Street Journal notes that "total claims lasting more than one week fell slightly but remained at about the three-million mark for a 13th straight week, an indication that it is taking the unemployed much longer to find new work than it did a few months ago."
Housing Bill The Hill reports Republicans "on the House Financial Services Committee are asking President Bush to reconsider his pledge not to veto a housing bill that passed the lower chamber on Wednesday." The GOP members said in a letter to the President, "Should you exercise your veto, the House vote [on Wednesday] indicates we have sufficient votes to sustain it. This could result in revised legislation that eliminates some, if not all, of the extraneous and wasteful provisions, leaving a bill that could gain broad bipartisan support."
The New York Times notes that while the housing bill "does offer incentives to certain overextended borrowers and their mortgage lenders," it also "includes many handouts to first-time homebuyers, longtime homeowners, returning veterans and senior citizens seeking to tap their home equity without getting hit with big fees."
Paulson Acts Independently Of White House The Los Angeles Times reports in a front page story that as Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson "has become the Bush administration's point man and chief spokesman on a series of government interventions in the economy -- including the plan likely to be approved by Congress to put the full resources of the U.S. Treasury behind faltering home mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." Paulson's "pragmatism, together with the fact that the Democrats control Congress, has allowed the Treasury secretary to do something his two immediate predecessors, John W. Snow and Paul H. O'Neill, were never able to do: pursue an agenda substantially independent of the White House."
Government Regulation On Upswing Under the headline, "Amid Turmoil, US Turns Away From Decades Of Deregulation," the Wall Street Journal reports on its front page that the "housing and financial crisis convulsing the U.S. is powering a new wave of government regulation of business and the economy." The "steps add up to a major challenge to the movement toward deregulation that has defined American governance for much of the past quarter-century since the 'Reagan Revolution' of the early 1980s."
In his blog for The Politico, John Bresnahan writes "the House Judiciary Committee has released its witness list for Friday's hearing on Rep. Dennis Kucinich's (D-Ohio) impeachment resolution. One big surprise -- a House Republican will testify." GOP Rep. Walter Jones, "a huge critic of President Bush's policy in Iraq, is scheduled to appear," as is former Rep. Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate.
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Jay Leno: "Hey, have you heard John McCain's new campaign slogan? 'Hey, guys, I'm over here!'"
Jay Leno: "Well, it was leaked yesterday" that "John McCain could be leaning towards Tim Pawlenty" as "a possible vice presidential running mate," and "I know what you're thinking -- the Tim Pawlenty?"
Jay Leno: "Actually, you know, it is a dead tie right now, just about, between the two candidates. McCain said he'd balance the budget in a year. Barack Obama said that he'd bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians. I don't know who not to believe."
David Letterman: "Well, I don't know if you know this or not, but right now Barack Obama is in the Mideast. And when he was over there, he met with the Israelis, also met with the Palestinians. But...not to steal the spotlight, John McCain also had a very busy day. He spent the entire day in the waiting room of Just Tires."
Craig Ferguson: "Barack Obama was in Germany" today, and "he did this speech and 100,000 people showed up. There were so many Germans shouting and screaming that France...surrendered just in case."
Jimmy Kimmel: "It was...surprising" and "kind of exciting. They really love Barack Obama in Germany. He's like a rock star over there," which is "impressive until you realize that David Hasselhoff is also like a rock star over there."
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