Merkel to Obama: Willkommen Sie nach Berlin aber keine Massenversammlungen Danke
By Charles Lemos on July 8, 2008 at 8:45 PM in Barack Obama, Germany

To Obama, all the world is a stage, hence a stadium in Denver or the Bradenburg Gate seem fitting backdrops to his delusions of grandeur. Misanthrophic is the word that comes to mind. Contemptuous is another. However, the Germans do not seem to be willing to play his games.
Via Germany’s Der Spiegel:
Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama is expected to visit Germany and Berlin in just two weeks time. But officials with Angela Merkel’s Chancellery are reserved about the prospects of a speech at the famous Brandenburg Gate.
United States presidential candidate Barack Obama is planning to visit Berlin in two weeks. “The date appears to be set for July 24,” a German government source told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Both German Chancellor Angela Merkel of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Social Democrats (SPD) are expected to hold talks in the German capital with Obama.
“They want to get better acquainted with him,” the source said.
However, the source, who asked not to be named, was reserved about the prospects of Obama holding a speech before the Brandenburg Gate.”
“The Brandenburg Gate is the most famous and history-rich site in Germany,” the Chancellery source said. In the past, the location has only been used on very special occasions for political speeches by world leaders. And it has been reserved for use only by elected American presidents, not candidates. The decision on whether the Democrat can speak at the location ultimately lies with the Berlin state government. Chancellery officials are concerned that the Brandenburg Gate could be turned into an “arbitrary stage” that other campaigns could also seek to use in the future.
It’s a traditional practice for US presidential candidates to visit Germany before the election. However, the source pointed out that agreements can only be made with elected presidents. The source also noted that a the German federal government would also be equally pleased to play host to a visit by Republican candidate John McCain. The door is just as open for him, the source said.
Nuremberg is probably a better fit any way.


















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