Comment Of The Day: Bold Talk To Ex-communist Crowd

I agree it was perfectly calibrated... it was certainly bold to deliver such an unabashedly pro-American/anti-Communist speech in a city that, let's not forget, was half communist a mere 19 years ago. And having lived in East Germany, I can tell you that communism is not a frequent punching-bag in popular political discourse, even among those glad the wall fell (and a fair number long for the DDR again, though I suppose no American president to the right of Eugene Debs would elicit much enthusiasm from them).

What worries me is that Obama isn't breaking out of his mold. There's been an inkblot quality about his appearances lately--to me, he comes across as compelling and eloquent; to the Cornerites, he's presumptuous, hubristic, and, I kid you not, embarrassing--and the lenses through which Americans view him are quickly ossifying. Not just his rhetoric but his imagery needs to be more persuasive. So I'm curious how the bona fide uncommitted voters will digest the speech.

Pace miceelf, if the networks show the waving American flags during their coverage tonight, then the man is golden.

Obama has so far done a good job on this trip; he has demonstrated that he has a broad strategic vision for America's future. Now he needs to come home and contrast his domestic policies with McCain. No time should be lost on this score.