So, Barack Obama's long-awaited Berlin speech is in the books; here are some early returns.
"To much of the world, Bush's talk of freedom is code for messianism, arrogance and empire," says the Nation's Ari Berman. "Obama reframed the debate–and reclaimed the word–with his spectacular speech in Berlin today, when he spoke of "the dream of freedom" as something both Americans and Europeans shared and could be proud of."
"What will the reaction be at home?" asks former Hillary Clinton partisan Taylor Marsh.
"Like it or not, the Obama team has raised the bar with this speech at this setting, especially coming after a week that candidates dream about. For some checking in it could be their first impression; for others another look at a man trying to make history by grabbing a bit of the past and bringing it into the future as comparison. We'll see how it plays and if the media writes a real review or decides to get even for Obama's… er… audacity."
"The speech also endeavored to reconcile patriotism with self-criticism of America, which some Republicans are already trying to locate in his anti-war candidacy and indeed in this very trip abroad," writes Greg Sargent at TPM.
" 'I know my country has not perfected itself.' The line, again, has a hint of a plea; he's asking Europe to forgive America the sins of the Bush years, while insisting that there's nothing incompatible whatsoever between patriotic love of America and caring what the rest of the world thinks of us."
Even Jim Geraghty at National Review praises Senator Obama for his willingness to ask the Germans for more help against the Taliban: "If Barack Obama can convince the Germans to contribute more to the mission in Afghanistan, God bless him, I mean that. But today he probably had a sense of how difficult it will be to get more resources out of Germany. Chancellor Merkel, while a gracious host, emphasized that she has 'no plans to go beyond pledges made last month for the NATO-led ISAF mission.' Additionally, a poll in February showed 85 percent opposed to sending German troops to the south of Afghanistan. Germans love Obama. But will they make concessions to him?"
...(NYT)