Obama Up Against The Wall

On November 9, Germany and the free world will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. That day on TV Americans saw an event that overjoyed them. East Berliners came pouring over the walls, Germans on both sides of the wall began hammering at it and breaking out huge chunks, and the East German authorities seemed helpless to do anything about it. It was a glorious victory, and the death knell of the Cold War. Within a very short time, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia and Poland had similar experiences.

The wall has had great emotional impact on the thinking of free peoples since the days it was first being built in the early Sixties. Famous speeches have been made there that gave boldness and courage to those who opposed the communist tyranny. John Kennedy's "I am a Berliner" speech has gone down in history, along with Ronald Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." And let us not forget the lofty campaign speech made by Barack Obama when he promoted his candidacy to his fellow citizens of the world (he didn't get lot of votes from Berlin, however).

But for this momentous event, Obama will inexplicably be absent. He claims his duties of office prevent him from going (tell that to the poor slobs in Copenhagen when he had enough time to tout Chicago for the Olympics). It's not as if he hasn't been invited. German Chancellor Angela Merkel considered this to be an event that warranted the presence of the president of the United States. America played a major role, if not the major role, in bringing about the fall of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the Eastern European satellite states, and the end of the wall. Never mind Kennedy, Reagan and the Berlin Airlift, Obama has more important things to do.

Since Obama has already insulted the United Kingdom and France, he must have figured it's Germany's turn. While making nice with dictators in South America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and undermining the constitutional internal affairs of Central American republics, it would have been nice if he could have taken a little time out to honor a momentous event in an ally's history.

After all, who could possibly object to an American president going to a major western capital to join that nation's citizens in celebrating the anniversary of the end of the oppression of its people? Well, Vladimir Putin, to start with. Unlike Obama, Putin fully realizes that this celebration is a slap in the face of Russian autocrats. It rejoices in the end of murderous tyranny. Obama may not join Putin in his underlying reasons for avoiding this memorial, but close enough. Obama doesn't feel comfortable celebrating the end of the Cold War since it also equally celebrates the height of American power, prestige and respect throughout the word. A president who has spent much of his time apologizing to the dictators of the world for all of America's wrongdoing, real and imagined, is not the type to find celebrating American triumph very appetizing.

This is a political mistake of major proportions. Other than the leftists, Americans range from mystified to furious over Obama's lame excuses for not going to Berlin. Even those who are reluctant to praise America's great accomplishments throughout the world still saw the celebration as an opportunity for Obama to lay out America's hopes and dreams of a world without oppressive dictatorships. Those of a more patriotic bent find this to be another example of Obama's disdain for all things American. And overseas, this certainly doesn't strengthen our relationship with the new struggling democracies and the older successful democracies who want America to be at least a major partner in maintaining freedom worldwide.

Obama's complete ignorance or misreading of American history leaves him unable to understand how very much the Soviet-dominated Eastern European nations had looked to America for guidance, inspiration and support. How could any nation revere a country so badly flawed as the United States? At the United Nations, Obama said "no one nation can dominate another nation." If he were to go to the celebration and even half-heartedly participate, it would necessarily mean that the captive nations were right in their rejection of Russian domination. And you know who wouldn't like that.

Chancellor Merkel has tried to put a good face on the matter. But the disappointment and hidden anger is palpable throughout Germany. I read the international Deutschland Nachrichten in German from time to time to see if the English versions of German news match up with what they are saying in German. The differences are subtle, but today's edition can barely disguise the contempt that Merkel and her people feel for getting Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and whoever else ends up there on the November 9 instead of the "leader of the free world." Germany is proud of its ability to finally throw off the yoke of the Soviet Union, but they are also very open about the fact that America was instrumental in helping to bring down that wall. Obama's failure to join in the celebrations seems to Germans to indicate that Obama is not so sure that the fall of the dictators was really such a good thing.

Considering his deference to dictators and oppressors throughout the world, the Germans may very well be on to something. He will meet with Putin to surrender American power in Eastern Europe. He will meet with president-for-life Chavez to promote dictatorship in the western hemisphere. He will meet with Ahmadenijad after failing to raise a peep about the violent rigged elections in Iran. But he won't join Chancellor Merkel and the Germans for one brief day to celebrate the end of the Evil Empire, largely because it would offend one of his favorite dictators. Does anyone wonder why they're extremely nervous in Prague, Budapest, and Warsaw?