Hmm, might work to our advantage. If the Bush Administration is against the speech, this might give Merkel and the Germans a chance to stick it to him.

Maybe.

I cannot help but think that such a report is good news for Obama's prospects speaking at the Brandeburg Gate. Go get 'em!

If Bush officials are privately trying to nix a speech that would give Obama a major boost it's an interesting development

I'd say it was an outrageous development, actually. The Bush Administration doesn't want Obama speaking at a particular location? I don't think the Bush Administration should be controlling where Obama speaks.

I really hope that Merkel gives a figurative F.U. to the Bush Administration and welcomes Obama to the Brandenburg Gate.

It might be, liam - German media is reporting that Obama is considering the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin as an alternative site for the speech...

It ain't the Gate, I'll admit. But JFK actually spoke in front of the Schoeneberg town hall, but we still remember that speech don't we?

FYI, the FAZ is hella respected.

Well, I just lifted this off of DailyKos ---

The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."

He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock

It's not slang for jelly donut in Berlin!

Apparently the Chancellor doesn't get to decide who is and isn't allowed to speak at the Brandenburg Gate.

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit appeared unimpressed by the warning from Chancellor Angela Merkel's office and said during a press conference on Tuesday that he would be pleased if Obama were to address the public at the Brandenburg Gate.

"We are not ruling anything out," a spokesman for the Berlin city council told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "The Brandenburg Gate would certainly be a nice place." The local government also pointed out that the decision over where Obama should make his appearance was in the hands of the city council of Berlin and not the chancellor's office or the federal government.Chancellor, Berlin Mayor Bicker over Obama Visit

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit is openly gay and a Social Democrat. He's not exactly a fan of Christian Democrat Angela Merkel. I'm betting Obama gets to speak at the Brandenburg Gate.

Though I don't doubt someone from the Bush administration expressed displeasure at the idea of Obama holding a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, I suspect that the misgivings expressed by Merkel, as a former East German and therefore especially conscious of the symbolism of the monument, are genuine and not externally motivated.

Frankly, as a strong Obama supporter, even I'm uneasy about the, um, audacity of him holding his introductory speech for Europe as a "mere" candidate at such a historically charged location. The other sites that are apparently being considered, like the Gendarmenmarkt and Potsdamer Platz, would better serve the purpose of the visit in proportion to its significance.

Der George kann Obama ins asch lechen!
I think that means "GTF out my bizness" in paraphrased German. Oh yeah,...another violation of the Hatch act,...using foreign diplomacy servants by preventing a political opponent his right to free speech. You know,...it doesn't matter where Obama gives his speech in Berlin,...he's the new JFK and there's nothing the GOP can do about it.

Bush is such a pig and a complete and total asswipe! can we possibily last until 1-20-09?

he's like a toxic waste site...full of pollution and it will years to clean up his shit!

A California group submitted a proposal Monday to rename a sewage treatment plant after President Bush, calling the initiative a fitting tribute to the outgoing chief executive and the "mess" he'll leave behind.

The Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco wants to switch the name of the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.

Supporters hoping to put the issue on the November ballot turned in more than 10,000 signatures to San Francisco election officials, organizer Brian McConnell said. The measure needs just over 7,000 valid names to qualify and McConnell expects to find out later this month whether they made it.

Proponents of the renaming plan see it as fitting tribute to a president they contend has plumbed the depths of incompetence.

"We think that it's important to remember our leaders in the right historical context," said McConnell, a member of the group that was formed after friends came up with the renaming idea.

"In President Bush's case, we think that we will be cleaning up a substantial mess for the next 10 or 20 years," he said. "The sewage treatment facility's job is to clean up a mess, so we think it's a fitting tribute."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/07/state/n140707D60.DTL&hw=sewage&sn=003&sc=921

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is one of the most respected German newspapers, akin to the NY Times in the US.

What a bunch of pigs. I hope that Merkel doesn't succumb to this bs.

Britain's Labour government is not especially right-wing,
though it is pro-Iraq war, and Tony Blair appeared to agree
with Bush on many things to do with that. The current guy,
Gordon Brown, is a more conventional leftish politician, and might
easily be keen on signalling support for Obama over Bush or
McCain.

The most likely outcome of the next British election is a move to the more right-wing Conservative party, because Brown has not
been able to shake the general impression that he has all the faults,few of the virtues and little of the charisma of Blair. So the original poster is half-right. There will probably be a move to the right. Whether this would leave Britain's regime left or right of Obama is difficult to say. The scale is quite different, and what counts as near-socialism in the US might be seen as near-lunatic right-wingness in the UK.

I think if Obama were to give a speech in front of the Whitehouse he would be more likely to talk about how Reaganesque Bush is, and say that the Republicans are the party of ideas. Then he would praise Bush for compromising on FISA.

The concern of the Germans is the use of certain sites for speeches involving a foreign political contest. I'm pretty sure they don't have anything against Obama talking about our ties to Germany, ecological concerns or something else of interest to a German audience.

"...whether the administration is possibly letting efforts to help McCain intrude on back-channel diplomacy in other areas."
Gee, ya 'spose? The Bush administration letting politics be priority number one over everything else, including human lives and world peace? Nah.

Why doesn't Obama keep his campaigning to the US? Does he think the Germans will vote for him or pony up some money for his weakening campaign coffers? What kind of a speech is he going to give? Criticizing, even in the very slightest, America and Americans (even George Bush) while overseas will really help solidify his problems with patriotism back home.

If he wants to talk about democracy, maybe he should pay a visit to his family in Africa and discuss the virtues of democracy and how they might benefit from it.

Rest assured the NSA is reading all of the e-mails, text messages and all listening to all communications from the Obama campaign 24/7 in real time.

This is the same crap that had McCain in Colombia during the hostage rescue. Bush should stop using foreign policy this way, its a disgrace.

Exactly ;)

If they happen to position it so the Gate is in the background, that's just a happy coincidence of celebrating the US embassy's return to its historic location.

"As indicated before, Angela Merkel has no say in what happens in Berlin. If the mayor of Berlin agrees, then Senator Obama will be able to make his speech."

Why is psmdsfc's post correct? Well, what does Obama need to give a speech there?

1 An airline ticket,

2. no visa is needed anymore for EU so he won't need that,

3. local police support which the lefty Mayor will provide, and

4. the Secret Service has to come which they can't refuse.

That's it. Merkel being against is is like Lieberman being sgainst it. Irrelevant.
But nice try, George. Next time give it some thought before you go off half-cocked again, maybe. Anyway, I am sure Lieberman fully agrees with you.

". . . . an Obama event . . . ."

Haen't we had enough of "celebrity culture"? Since when do we view politicians as entertainers -- perfectly suited for the tabloids?

How shallow can one get?