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Not Exactly JFK, But Obama Leaves Crowd Happy

His speech in Berlin is rather ordinary

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 24, 2008 6:23 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Make no mistake, Barack Obama gave a fine speech in Berlin today, writes Shane Danielsen in the Guardian. But any comparisons to JFK can stop right there. His speech hit all the right notes but shaded more toward the ordinary than the memorable. The mood of the mostly young crowd "never quite tipped into hsyteria," says Danielsen, who notes that Obama is known for feeding off his audience. "Still, most people left happy."

"While workmanlike, if occasionally inspiring (the line about 'rejecting torture and standing for the rule of law' received a particularly loud ovation), the speech lacked the rhetorical flourishes, the vivid imagery or unmistakable passion that would have made it genuinely historic," writes Danielsen. "In that respect, it was, in the end, more Reagan than JFK."

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves as he arrives at the Victory Column in Berlin, Thursday, July 24, 2008.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves as he arrives at the Victory Column in Berlin, Thursday, July 24, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., bottom center, shakes hands with supporters after speaking at the Victory Column in Berlin, Thursday, July 24, 2008.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., bottom center, shakes hands with supporters after speaking at the Victory Column in Berlin, Thursday, July 24, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves to the audience after a speech at the victory column in Berlin Thursday, July 24, 2008.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves to the audience after a speech at the victory column in Berlin Thursday, July 24, 2008.   (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves to the audience after his speech at the victory column in Berlin Thursday, July 24, 2008.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves to the audience after his speech at the victory column in Berlin Thursday, July 24, 2008.   (AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer)
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