Obama Echoes Reagan in Call for Global Unity
Democratic Contender Calls for Troop Support in Victory Column Address in Berlin
A June Pew poll of global attitudes found the public in both Germany and France adore him -- 84 percent of Germans and 82 percent of French have more confidence in Obama than in McCain to deliver a positive change in U.S. foreign policy.
Obama Addresses Anti-Americanism
Addressing the anti-American sentiment prevalent in Europe during George W. Bush's presidency, Obama sought to paint a picture of a globe whose fate is intertwined.
"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 bound us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century," Obama said.
"Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe," he said, "But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. 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 one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity."
Obama added: "That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another."
The presumptive Democratic nominee argued terrorism is the common threat both Europeans and Americans share.
"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," he said. "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.
Stakes High in Whirlwind Tour
The speech came after a meeting between Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in which they discussed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as climate and energy issues at Germany's chancellery.
They also discussed Pakistan, the Middle East peace process, the trans-Atlantic economic partnership, the global economy and "the need for cooperation on the international level and in international organizations to solve important global questions," a Merkel aide said.
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