All Blog Posts from Horserace

The saga of Barack Obama's proposed speech at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate rages on today. (Dare we call it Brandenburg Gate-gate?)

A quick recap: As we discussed Wednesday, Obama is expected to stop in Berlin during his foreign trip later this month. The Berlin Senate was reportedly approached about the propsect of the presumptive Democratic nominee speaking at the historic landmark – where, in 1987, Ronald Reagan asked Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall."

Through a spokesman, German Chancellor Angela Merkel initially expressed significant skepticism over the prospect, questioning "whether it is appropriate to bring an election campaign being fought not in Germany but in the United States to the Brandenburg Gate."

But the chancellor now seems to be softening her position. The Associated Press reports that a Merkel spokesman now says "we are confident that we will reach a mutual and good solution which does justice to the interests of all involved." Most Berlin city officials reportedly support the prospect of an Obama speech at the Gate.

In related news, Ben Smith over at the Politico notes that "the Bush adminstration's opposition to an Obama speech at the Brandenburg Gate comes across as more heated — and more overt — than previously reported" in the German press.

A few German-speaking readers helped Smith unearth reports like one in the tabloid Bild quoting Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt saying "it would be nice if the German government would focus on strengthening its contacts to us rather than already beginning to look for our successors."

He also quotes a report that "It's said that the Chancellor's foreign policy advisor, Christoph Heusgen, was berated by a member of the Bush team over Obama's plans at the G-8 summit in Japan."

Obama is expected to be in Berlin on July 24.

The details of Barack Obama's upcoming foreign journey are still being worked out, but early indications are that the presumptive Democratic nominee will likely visit Israel, Germany, France, and Great Britain, beginning with his arrival in Israel July 22nd. The Obama campaign has also signaled that the candidate could visit Jordan, Afghanistan and Iraq during the trip.

One of the likely stops on the journey is Berlin, a city that holds a particularly appealing landmark for a politician looking for a dramatic backdrop: The Brandenburg Gate. It's where Ronald Reagan in 1987 asked Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" and Bill Clinton in 1994 declared that "Berlin is free." (For those keeping track, John F. Kennedy's famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in 1963 took place not at the Gate but in Schöneberg, the then-seat of the West Berlin government.)

German newspaper Der Spiegel reported over the weekend that "the Berlin Senate has reportedly been asked whether Obama can speak in front of the Brandenburg Gate," prompting speculation about a potential high-profile Obama address from the historic location.

Now, however, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has expressed interest in meeting with Obama while he is in her country, is expressing concern over the prospect of such an address.

The Associated Press is reporting that Merkel's spokesman said the chancellor is expressing "great skepticism as to whether it is appropriate to bring an election campaign being fought not in Germany but in the United States to the Brandenburg Gate."

The spokesman added that "no German (chancellor) candidate would think of using (Washington's) National Mall or Red Square in Moscow for rallies, because it would be considered inappropriate."