It certainly doesn’t, but that’s what he'll make of it, and what his campaign will sell it as. An easy task, given Mike Huckabee almost citing his all inclusive vacations in Jamaica as a foreign policy credential.

gave Bush a military glow. Viceral images.

McCain, as you recall, did quite a bit of touring himself (including Canada, Latin America, and England as well as the Mideast ) earlier this year and came back with very little additional insight or expertise.

I think Hannes' post, though is more on how current American notions of a president have shifted from the Kennedy image to the Bush image, and that the self-sufficient American warrior(but smarter than Bush) is now the only one many Americans are comfortable with . In that case the question is not, why the tour, but why didn't the tour stop in Asia?

Very few Americans today alas know or care much about Europe economically or politically. The Middle East, India and China, on the other hand.......

_{1."George Washington did not cross the Delaware for Capitalism," -Shmuley Boteach.
2.The Dems haven't punished the GOP enough, so you're going to reward the Republicans?}

He looked and sounded great, thats why Tina. Once again, he showed that he has good judgement and is able to articulate that judgement in fairly simple statements. Did you notice that many of his foreign policy statements, ridiculed at first (by Hillary too) have now become status quo? Talk to Iran, timetable withdrawal from Iran, strike in Pakistan. Funny how good ideas and sound policies and respect for other nations give you foreign policy credentials.

He may not be president yet, but he is already our leader.

( which is in some ways quite similar to the one Hillary had and was forced to ditch when Bill was president)

None of the candidates so far seem to have any clue on how to deal with the downhill economic slide- certainly not McCain. Americans. now trained in "everyone for themselves" are getting increasingly nervous on the domestic front.

I think it is the sense that so many things are now out of countrol that makes the "untested candidate" so scarey. Kennedy came to power under quite different circumstances.

It is certainly time for Obama to show off his (experts') expertise in attempting to put together a "list of specific proposed actions" for tackling the US (and world ) economic mess,not just criticizing McCain's proposals, and for some micro-exposure in small towns.

McCain, having had the luxury of time, is already well along in that "plain old American" route.

_{1."George Washington did not cross the Delaware for Capitalism," -Shmuley Boteach.
2.The Dems haven't punished the GOP enough, so you're going to reward the Republicans?}

looked and sounded great sounds more like a concert review. I notice that his foreign policy statements he has been saying we have been saying at the Agonist for years. I guess that gives us credentials too :) Bombing Pakistan however I'm not sure shows good judgment. I am more interested in his actions after his words. As the last month has shown he does not always keep his own words and that is concerning.

Yes, bombing anywhere seems to have negative results, cause by its lack of precision.

A police action to get osama Ladinsson would probably be more effective, and not piss off too many as a result of collateral damage...

I noted with interest the fall in oil and gas prices - and some more optimism in the finance markets. I wonder if it's because they think Obama is a shoe in this fall?

has I feel been reading some blogs way too much .

Lots of people in the US are afraid- of the economy, of aging in poverty, of health care bankruptcy, and of course, of terrorism .

Unless Obama can convince these people before Election Day by putting forth some specific proposals that start to tackle our bankrupt America, they will stick with that old McCain face they know- even if he has changed his position a million times, and has absolutely no clue how to get us out where we are now.

The other day I was listening to an out-of-town family talking about how Obama just had no experience and how McCain, inarguably a senior, was forcing himself to work out three times a week. Ya gotta put visible effort into something, even if it's only exercise. Overcoming racism, getting a law degree and becoming a US Senator seemingly effortlessly is not a plus in their eyes, though it would be in Europe. Obama gets tired. He just doesn't look tired.

_{"The mythical John McCain is an affable, straight-talking, moderately conservative war hero who is an expert on foreign policy" - Bob Herbert}

"But Germany and trying to emulate the famous mythical footsteps of Kennedy and Reagan? "

And he did not go here did he, but Kennedy and Reagan would have:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/landstuhl.htm

http://mauberly.blogspot.com/

Mauberly. He could have gone, but not with his campaign staff ;)

see my reply to Mauberly.

Well, at least it kept Edwards and his "love child" out of the spotlight for today.

_{1."George Washington did not cross the Delaware for Capitalism," -Shmuley Boteach.
2.The Dems haven't punished the GOP enough, so you're going to reward the Republicans?}

without press but military thought it would be seen as "too political". Now it's political that he didn't go.

See somewhat hostile article here

C'mon, give the guy a break once in a while, even if the choice he made was wrong. His note in the Wailing Wall gets taken by a rabbinical student and published-
nothing goes unscrutinized.

_{1."George Washington did not cross the Delaware for Capitalism," -Shmuley Boteach.
2.The Dems haven't punished the GOP enough, so you're going to reward the Republicans?}

http://mauberly.blogspot.com/

He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

_{"While not a Playboy reader, she invites a male acquaintance in for a quiet discussion of Chagall, Nietzsche, jazz, sex." - not a Hugh Hefner quote}

a critical piece- might be wrong, but tries to take on a real issue by treating the tour as something more than pure photo-op, as it seems to me few Agonist Obama critics have done:

Berlin was wrong place for Obama's Wall speech

_{1."George Washington did not cross the Delaware for Capitalism," -Shmuley Boteach.
2.The Dems haven't punished the GOP enough, so you're going to reward the Republicans?}

C'mon Israel take down that wall and those checkpoints. Obama wants all walls to come down ... no exceptions allowed.

_{"While not a Playboy reader, she invites a male acquaintance in for a quiet discussion of Chagall, Nietzsche, jazz, sex." - not a Hugh Hefner quote}

that the leadership of the world is America's game to lose, and the game is replayed with each new administration. But note this is "leadership" as opposed to "command"; you can be a commander simply by the mere fact of having subordinates, but you can only be a leader if people follow you.

I've heard of better ways to start a transatlantic dialogue than "here's how you sucked and what you can belatedly do to put it partially right". Besides sounding like more of the same of what we've just had for eight years, coming from America today it might invite a large range of fairly exquisite and unanswerable responses, so from a perspective of "can't we all just get along?" it'd probably be wiser to not start from there.

... there is a national responsibility that Germany has to live up to but there are not many Germans left who had any hand in voting for Hitler.

Also given the abysmal human rights record of the US these days any American politician who cloaks himself in the mantle of moral superiority has already lost all credibility.

Not that the US human rights record was all that great to begin with. Germany fully acknowledges and strives to preserve the knowledge of the unbelievable scale of war crimes and devastation that my nation has caused. Frankly I'd wish other nations would take as openly a look at the skeletons in their closets.

Stop with the guilt trips already.

Ask yourself about Israel's action over the past 60 years,
demolishing over 360 Arab villages, building settlements on the west bank, and so forth...

Better Israel proposes a win/win solution so the Palestinians have no reasons for such anger. And importing more Jews or disenfranchising Israeli Arabs is probably not a win/win solution...

What's you proposal? Why don't you ask the Arab Sovereign Wealth funds to fund the Palestinian homeland?

Israel/Palestine, is the direct fruit of British policy - not German.

Once the fingers start wagging, there's lots of blame to pass around. In fact it's kind of hard to find any *non-assholes* in that equation. No matter how personally satisfying you may find it, starting by saying so to every national participant is unhelpful. As the Japanese say - the goal is to fix the problem, not the blame.

... Germany would certainly be happy to contribute financially. Let's not forget that just before Rabin was shot it looked like such an accord was found. The EU was then standing ready to poor considerable amounts into the region so that peace would be solidified by prosperity. I may also point out that German and Swedish diplomatic efforts are often at the core of any rapprochement we've seen in the past. Even the recent return of the remains of the abducted and slaughtered Israeli border patrol soldiers was brokered by German diplomats.

Your assumption seems to be that money alone can fix this mess. Nothing could be further from the truth. This naivete in conjunction to your aggressive posturing makes you almost sound like a Bill Kristol clone.

re: productivity. But I do find the assumption that I couldn't quote "the Japanese" on anything I care to both faintly amusing and rather disturbing.

You seem rather big on collective responsibility and collective punishment, which was of course bin Laden's stated justification for 9/11 - collective responsibility for the bombing of the towers in Lebanon. Hitler was big on collective responsibility and collective punishment too.

But I think you'll find "the Japanese", like "the Germans", to be a whole lot of individuals, and it'd probably be a good idea for you to examine the "lumping together" you're tending towards here, and think about where combining it with anger can lead.

I admit I'm delighted - you've taken a sub-thread that you created to express a preference for accusatory, hectoring rudeness over dialogue, and turned it into an elegant practical demonstration of the pointlessness of choosing accusatory, hectoring rudeness over dialogue. Kudos - that's *deeply* meta, albeit completely self-defeating.

But somehow I don't feel very enticed to share with you where and how the Holocaust impacted my wider family.

And Quax, it's nice to know the Germans would "contribute"

You're welcome.

Whatever you try to do or mean to accomplish with "fetching another piece of this monstrous, bloody jigsaw puzzle!", I don't think that the way you go about it will get you very far.

As far as the EU is concerned - Israel would be a prime candidate for the EU once peace breaks out. If Rabin had survived and a real solution accomplished I think we'd be talking about the prospect of Israel joining the EU right about now. That would also have been a good framework to get EU money into Israel.

Attila the Hun was a much better dancer than you will ever be!

There I said it!

But you're giving further confirmation of the wisdom of Obama's approach - dialogue vs. accusation - with every further comment you make. Each post you make is a further nail in the coffin of the wisdom of starting dialogue from a position of accusation.

As I said - it may take you a while to catch on. But I'll bet pretty much everyone else has.

under those restrictions, and look what happened in Germany. We don't know that Obama only spoke to those of rank at the hospital, do we?

Obama will never get the "man-to-man" press adoration the 'straight talker' has- he
doesn't have that open style - but neither did Hillary.

_{1."George Washington did not cross the Delaware for Capitalism," -Shmuley Boteach.
2.The Dems haven't punished the GOP enough, so you're going to reward the Republicans?}

I was just stating what the guards neighbor told him in an email. The soldier is an Obama fan and just felt disappointed. I'm sure Obama met with rank and file and not just the upper ranks, it probably was just bad timing. I don't see why Obama couldn't have gone to Landstuhl, he just couldn't go with campaign staff. It does seem strange that his campaign didn't know the rules and stranger since politicians have used soldiers before.

and our motives are almost certain to be misunderstood by others:-)

I was responding to the Iraq soldier's comment being tacked on to the end of an article on reporters. Would I have reacted if your comment was about Obama going out of his way to meet lower-level soldiers - probably not. Would you have posted it? I don't know. That's where we are right now.

The Landstuhl murk has not been clarified (nor probably will it be) to my satisfaction. I am not assuming his campaign knew what they were doing.

_{"The mythical John McCain is an affable, straight-talking, moderately conservative war hero who is an expert on foreign policy" - Bob Herbert}

because we were discussing the article at the time and neither of us realized the press gaggle was not in Iraq with Obama. As for the murk, it wouldn't surprise me that they were not made aware of the conditions before hand, I'm just surprised they didn't look into it themselves. Sorry the comment was brief but work called. :)

trying to avoid political controversy (hah), and not responding on specifics(and then badly) until the McCain attack. Mr. O relies too much on decisions he doesn't make personally.

Why didn't Obama then go on the visit with just a bodyguard (allowed though not paid for by military and not congressional staff) without Retired Major General Gration (whose trip was I assume paid for by the campaign)?

Perhaps Obama was concerned that he would make a military flub - little did he know.....:-). or perhaps that possibility never bubbled up to "the One"

Here's a post I found interesting.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/07/obama-explains.html.

There is also a general surprise/disappointment at McCain from Hagel (however he was not on the European political leg)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/27/ftn/main4297769.shtml

It is wonderful how the McCain staff were just ready and waiting to put that no publicity no visit ad up. But I think McCain wins on the timing of the baited trap.

_{"The mythical John McCain is an affable, straight-talking, moderately conservative war hero who is an expert on foreign policy" - Bob Herbert}

there is no need to end a critique of Obama with a derogatory reference to Hillary. Her down to earth communication with ordinary folks during the primaries is what endeared her to many blue collar workers, elderly people, the poor, etc. Besides, Obama's arrogant streak is well known and is something we ought to be concerned about if he ends up sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office.

_{"While not a Playboy reader, she invites a male acquaintance in for a quiet discussion of Chagall, Nietzsche, jazz, sex." - not a Hugh Hefner quote}

... politician in the US I have to wonder how it is psychologically even possible for a intelligent individual to not develop a streak of arrogance.

have an average IQ and be an intelligent individual?

_{"While not a Playboy reader, she invites a male acquaintance in for a quiet discussion of Chagall, Nietzsche, jazz, sex." - not a Hugh Hefner quote}

... the way that it was intended. IMHO both Obama and Clinton clearly surpass the average IQ off the combined set of all DC politicians (the pundits as well for that matter). Therefore I'd be surprised for them not to develop at least a residual strain of arrogance.

... is dangerous, and exactly what you described here.

If one is arrogant because they perceive themselves to be smart, well, then they just don't get it, do they?

the intelligent man, proud of his intelligence, is like the condemned prisoner proud of his spacious cell.

But to the issue of arrogance - one of the key observations in that article about Obama's academic career is that spent his entire time as a professor throwing out questions rather than answers - asking for discussion rather than dictating from above. And the questions were good, searching ones.

If that's arrogance, I'll take someone who's got a good idea of what the right questions are over someone who's totally convinced they have all the answers any day.

to float a few possible answers, as he did in his professorial days.

_{"The mythical John McCain is an affable, straight-talking, moderately conservative war hero who is an expert on foreign policy" - Bob Herbert}