This email went out last night from David Plouffe, Barack Obama's campaign manager, to supporters, with a link to video of Obama's Berlin speech: "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. Watch Barack's historic speech and share it with your friends."
Gee, why does the news media keep insisting on writing that this foreign trip has been a campaign trip?
Before we departed, Obama's aides claimed this wasn't campaign trip, or about politics, period. They adjusted that explanation after incredulous scribes kept highlighting that it was being funded by his campaign, staffed by his campaign, and executed via his campaign plane, which had a new paint job just in time for departure - and being covered by the reporters and news crews who cover his campaign.
Then Obama aides explained what they meant was that the trip wasn't campaign-driven, that the emphasis was on substance and reaching out to key nations and the fact that he is a presidential candidate is really secondary to all that. At that time, they hedged questions about whether they'd use video of the Berlin speech in campaign ads. Plouffe's note and accompanying video link suggest the answer.
Ms Talev, it is incredible to me that as a professional journalist assigned to cover this trip you apparently do not realize that the "official" part of it was when Senator Obama was accompanying and appearing with Senators Hagel and Reed as part of a Congressional delegation (CODEL.) As far as I know, the Senators parted company before the European leg of the trip even started.
Posted by: retired-jag | July 27, 2008 at 12:21 AM
It is good that Obama made a foreign tour. It gives us a chance to get another view of his proposed ideas. The world knows we need help, hope and change; they hope Barack offers that as the US presidental candidate.
The desire of all nations and all leaders is to improve the world, but I see no change offered by Barack Obama. Moving troops from Iraq to Afghanistan is not change. Creating more jobs, and projects paid for by taxes we pay is not change. Getting foreign troops to fight wars we started is not change. This is not the unity and international relations nations want.
We need someone who recognizes we are going the wrong way and only a drastic change will solve world problems. We are making life more difficult than it has to be. The goal in life is not employment; that caused our problems. The goal is retirement in a garden paradise that we create here and now. That restores our health, stops pollution, energy-food crisis, global warming, immigration, wars, and social security concerns all at the same time.
If we want this solution and our candidates refuse or ignor our pleas,another leader will be raised up to bring it to pass. In the meantime we can start planting food bearing plants and choosing pets that produce food. These Victory Gardens will indeed give us a victory that will be long lasting and well meaning speeches and desires will not captivate us into our same destructive lifestyle. Google marie devine divine-way for ways to promote these solutions as response to news.
Posted by: MarieDevine | July 27, 2008 at 08:54 PM
It is good that Obama made a foreign tour. It gives us a chance to get another view of his proposed ideas. The world knows we need help, hope and change; they hope Barack offers that as the US presidental candidate.
The desire of all nations and all leaders is to improve the world, but I see no change offered by Barack Obama. Moving troops from Iraq to Afghanistan is not change. Creating more jobs, and projects paid for by taxes we pay is not change. Getting foreign troops to fight wars we started is not change. This is not the unity and international relations nations want.
We need someone who recognizes we are going the wrong way and only a drastic change will solve world problems. We are making life more difficult than it has to be. The goal in life is not employment; that caused our problems. The goal is retirement in a garden paradise that we create here and now. That restores our health, stops pollution, energy-food crisis, global warming, immigration, wars, and social security concerns all at the same time.
If we want this solution and our candidates refuse or ignor our pleas,another leader will be raised up to bring it to pass. In the meantime we can start planting food bearing plants and choosing pets that produce food. These Victory Gardens will indeed give us a victory that will be long lasting and well meaning speeches and desires will not captivate us into our same destructive lifestyle. Google marie devine divine-way for ways to promote these solutions as response to news.
Posted by: MarieDevine | July 27, 2008 at 08:55 PM