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October 12, 2008 2:33:54 AM CDT

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Free of History and Politics, Berlin Is Perfect for Obama

Posted Jul 24, 08 10:36 AM CDT in World,  Opinion,  Politics 

(Newser) – Forget the chatter about whether Barack Obama should be stopping in Brussels or giving Germany pride of place over France and Britain. Berlin is “quite an appropriate setting” for the candidate's big European speech, Cameron Abadi writes for the New Republic. The “existential angst of the Cold War” is completely gone, and the town—like the candidate—has moved on to inspire a new generation.

Indeed, not only has Berlin been “drained of its political drama,” but the "Victory Column," originally an emblem of German military power, has been “largely cleansed of its historical associations,” and is now best known as the site of the Love Parade, an annual techno music festival. As a man who doesn’t want to “dwell on the wounds of the past,” Obama has picked just the right spot.

Source New Republic

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In this July 13, 2002, file photo the Berlin landmark Victory Column is seen in an aerial view as ravers dance around the trucks of the annual "Love Parade."   (AP Photo/Jockel Finck)
In this March 12, 2007 file photo, the sun hits Berlin's Victory Column in Berlin.   (AP Photo/Franka Bruns)
Two balloons supporting U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., fly in front of the Victory Column in Berlin.   (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A model walks the runway at the presentation of the spring/summer 2009 collection of German fashion label 'Pure Berlin' during the Fashion Week in Berlin.   (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
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Barack Obama  • Election 2008  • France  • Berlin  • Brussels  • generation gap


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