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Why Won't Obama Celebrate Berlin Wall's Fall?

Carol Platt Liebau
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One of the most underreported big events coming up worldwide is the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9.

Though he could find time to jet off to Copenhagen to lobby for Chicago to get the Olympics -- President Obama has declared himself too busy to attend the festivities, despite having been invited personally by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

My Townhall column asks: Why is Barack Obama so reluctant to celebrate the great victory for freedom that the Berlin Wall's fall represents?

Tags: Foreign Affairs , National Security

Carol Platt Liebau

Carol Platt Liebau

Carol Platt Liebau is an attorney, political commentator and guest radio talk show host based near New York. Learn more about her new book, "Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Hurts Young Women (and America, Too!)" here.

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Kaustik Wrote: Nov 16, 2009 3:04 PM

The Wall: ain’t nothing to celebrate, folks, move along

posted at http://kissmybackend.com/2009/11/11/the-wall-aint-nothing- to-celebrate-folks-move-along/ and
http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2009/11/berlin-wall-fell-ob ama-stays-away

The vast majority of my liberal friends discovered their inner hawk only after the peace dividend started to ooze out of the corpse of the Cold War. In 1989 the enemy was still us and the backpacks with Canadian flags were still de rigueur for the wanderlusting college...

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vladimir estragon Wrote: Nov 03, 2009 12:11 PM

"You don't read many European newspapers do you?"

Are you saying that newspapers are now an accurate representation of what people think? Are you saying that Americans should concern themselves with what Europeans think? Hmmm, those would be fairly large reversals of what the right has been telling us since 9/11/01.

Scept had it exactly right: when Obama spoke in Germany, the right attacked him. When Obama doesn't speak in Germany, the right attacks him. Very soon, Obama will issue the presidential proclamation making 11/26/09 Thanksgiving Day. BandesHenglerJessupLiebau will attack him for that, too.

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Seadog Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 5:42 PM

"Do you remember when she was posting under the name kaboom and claimed that she was hugged all over Europe when people saw her Obama button."

I sorta remember. It is difficult to keep up with who is who on the liberal side 'cause they change their names like they change their socks. Well, no, most liberals don't often change their socks. The peace creep types had dirty ankles and smelled like a keg of ape butts back in the days they were trying their best to screw up the entire country.

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Nee2 Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 4:43 PM

I love it when you speak military...heh. Field strip. If only *they* could get a taste of that...

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Seadog Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 4:30 PM

"you are in a bubble
you don't know any foreign languages, do you?"

Actually, I can speak Spanish fairy well and read it damn well. I can also blunder my way through newspapers in French and Italian.

But, were you a "world traveler' as you claim -- or even used the internet for anything except to be a Mark One - Mod Zero nutcase, you'd know that virtually every foreign newspaper in the world has an English edition.

There are countries that publish an English edition locally and these are FUN! They often throw a few words of their own language right into a sentence written in English. This can be found in Sri Lanka, Philippines and African countries.

It is also sometime possible to get the gist of an...

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Nee2 Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 4:04 PM

Sorry but, you are naive. I have lived there, traveled there for nearly 25 years. I have never met anyone that hated Bush, but they sure did love the womanizer BillyJeff.

My German secretary hated Bush because of the propagandized news she watched. When I told her what Bush had accomplished in Iraq, she was dumbstruck, "Saddam lived like a king while he impoverished and killed his own people?" She hadn't know that because all the news there said things akin to Bush was an evil basturd.

I think it is you who lives in the bubble. Google Obama Apology tour and you will see all you need to know.

Germany is indeed socialist, and free. The former East Germans are now free from Communism and are living free in a...

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Exeye Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 4:03 PM

as Moderate Guy points out. Sackcloth and ashes, self-flagellation with the metal whip, "O why, Lord Lenin, didst thou abandon us? We are not worthy!"

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Corndog2 Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 4:00 PM

"you don't know any foreign languages, do you?"

And you don't know how to field strip an AR-15 or lay down suppressing fire.

Which one is going to come in more handy when YOUR bubble bursts?

(Actually I can speak a little Spanish, and from my 2 years living in Japan, I can understand a little Japanese, but I find reading Katakana quite difficult. I am however fluent in Canadian...eh!)

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sceptyczny Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 3:38 PM

you don't know any foreign languages, do you?

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SJA Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 3:31 PM

As usual Sewage mouth aka Kaboom gives us a laugh. Do you remember when she was posting under the name kaboom and claimed that she was hugged all over Europe when people saw her Obama button. Now we all know the first thing we pack is our campaign buttons. It did give most here a chuckle though. She does not have a clue how Obama's support has started to dwindle in Europe. Most are no longer enamored by him as they once were and many find his spending habits dangerous. But remember she starts the day with a nice big gallon of kool-aid.

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Corndog2 Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 3:24 PM

Remember them words..."Those out of power like to criticize."

wink wink

P.S. The "It's a Small World" ride at Disney Land does NOT count as "Being in Berlin."

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sceptyczny Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 3:21 PM

typical American nonsense to think otherwise. What has he apologized for, exactly? Specifically? We've supported the Germans for many years. The leaders who are there celebrating are Gorbechov, Bush I and Kohl.

(role, dopey, not roll).

And guess what? Germany is socialist, you know that!

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Seadog Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 3:21 PM

". . . They will adore him still."

You don't read many European newspapers do you?

I've not seen a positive article on him in any European newspaper in weeks. (Even the far-left Guardian has a piece that was at best 'so-so."

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sceptyczny Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 3:18 PM

credits Gorbechov (sp?) for the end of the wall.

And in 1989, people criticized Bush I for not going to the wall when it was finally down.

Nothing changes. Those out of power like to criticize.

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sceptyczny Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 3:13 PM

and so jealous.

I was in Berlin this past spring. Everyone (EVERYONE) I met, from the reception desk clerk at the hotel, to any restaurant, to the museums, etc, who found out that I was an American, to a person hugged me and thanked the voters for electing President Obama. The hatred they had for Bush was compelling.

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Nee2 Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 3:10 PM

We disliked his proclaimation that he was a Citizen of the World (Hence, my nickname COWboy President). And I dislike every single time he apolgizes for who we are.
Yep. Way to show your support for the now free Germanscitizens of the world, and FYI- we had a little roll in that...and he doesn't give a rat's as*.
Any questions?

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moderateGuy Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 3:00 PM

Obama shares the view that the collapse of Soviet Union, and its slave empire, was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.
That's what you get for electing a never-grew-up college sophomore as "president", who conducts foreign policy based on a wallfull of posters of "Chairman" Mao, "Che", and the infamous cow-in-the-field "thinking" 'No Nukes'

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Corndog2 Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 2:58 PM

"he was there last summer and they adored him."

The one, inserted himself as the opening act of a U2 concert. He could have got on stage and farted and 100,000 drunk Germans still would have cheered.

Come to think of it, a fart would be more articulate than anything odumbo says off telepromter.

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JPK2 Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 2:50 PM

Actually, The Anointed One demanded that he be given the right to speak at the Brandenberg Tor. But Merkel politely told Axelrod that Obama had to earn the right to speak there. Finally, after a few days of negociating, Merkel allowed him to speak at the Siegersaule (Victory Monument -you know that monument to Prussian Imperialism). Obama readily accepted.

Obama's desire to give several speeches in Germany this past winter and spring caused Merkel to politely remind Obama that there was a ression going on, and would he please attend to it? Merkel is no fan of the Anointed One.

BTW, I lived in Germany for many years and was there when the Wall went down. And most of the Ost Deustche credit Ronald Reagan for bringing it...

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foxmustang Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 2:45 PM

You left out one very important reason why OBumbles won't be present to celebrate the falling of the Berlin Wall.......

He's too busy waging war against.........Fox News.

You didn't really think I was going to say Iraq or Afghanistan, did you?

Those are OBVIOUSLY not important to him.....

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sceptyczny Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 2:42 PM

you'd say he should be at home. If he doesn't go, you say he is anti-this, anti-that.

Yes, he was there last summer and they adored him. You don't want him to go again. They will adore him still.

And no, Reagan's speech in 1980 had really very little to do with the wall's fall in 1989. I suggest you go to Berlin and listen to Berliners explain what happened, how other countries (particularly Hungary) made decisions that impacted on the wall and its demise.

But keep thinking that the US controls anything.

You are so envious of Obama. Very funny.

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Kenny Z Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 2:41 PM

ALL THE ABOVE!

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John2580 Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 2:20 PM

didn't bring down the Berlin wall is an idiot or a propaganda disseminating liar. Any history book about America will prove this(except for the fake ones they use in high school now).

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Dread Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 2:19 PM

it burns....

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Corndog2 Wrote: Nov 02, 2009 2:10 PM

"He was there last summer
and you all hated him for it."

Yeah and he wasn't POTUS then either, (not that he's acting like it now.)

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