Here is the text of Reagan’s Pointe de Hoc speech in Normandy, one of the great post-WWII panegyrics to the Western legacy of freedom and one of the high water marks of American Presidential oratory:
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge — and pray God we have not lost it — that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt. You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One’s country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.
And here is a story about how Obama refused to travel to Normandy because it might hurt the Germans’ feelings. And they were so nice to let him give his incredibly expensive and somewhat creepy, “citizen of the world” Berlin speech. So ix-nay on visiting the troops who defeated them in WWII:
White House officials travelled to France at the start of March to discuss a visit by Mr Obama to Omaha Beach, the site of the American Cemetery, established in 1944 just after D-Day and where 9,387 American personnel are buried… French officials and senior American military officers walked with White House staff through the cemetery discussing how the two presidents might follow the same route… [T]he White House had decided that Mr Obama would not travel there this week. “It wasn’t going to happen,” said an American official in Washington. “We went through the motions to placate President Sarkozy but giving special treatment to France was not on our agenda… During this trip, we wanted to maintain a balance between the British, German and France”.
Technically it would have been “giving special treatment” to the nearly 10,000 Americans who died to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe. But whatever. At least he’s using smart power to repair our relationship with the rest of the world!
The French president tried unsuccessfully to meet Mr Obama before he was sworn in after the G20 summit in Washington last November, even stationing a French military plane on 24-hour standby nearby to whisk him to Chicago should the then US president-elect change his mind. He had also hoped Mr Obama would agree to a meeting before attending the G20 summit in London on April 3. The French had suggested that Mr Obama fly from London to Normandy on Friday morning for a stop before the Nato summit. Instead, he is going directly to Strasbourg.
Of course – as Obama pointed out while overseas in France – tense US-European relations are Bush’s fault. Now that there’s an expert diplomat in the White House who knows how to navigate the turbulent waters of international geopolitics, expect to see US-French relations skyrocketing.
Well, except for how Obama sent send a personal letter to Sarkozy’s political opponents implicitly praising them for their opposition to the Iraq War. And how he infuriated Paris by urging the EU to accept Turkey. And except for how his protectionist trade policies are pissing everybody off. And except for how his Secretary of State doesn’t know the names of her counterparts.
But except for those things, skyrocketing relations.
References and previously after the jump…
References:
* President Reagan’s Speech at Pointe de Hoc, Normandy
* Obama spent nearly $700,000 for stage, lights in Berlin [Washington Times]
* Some VERY Creepy Obama Symbols [Yid With Lid]
* Barack Obama rejects Normandy trip to avoid offending Germany [Telegraph]
* Obama Bashes Bush in France– Apologizes For Liberating Iraq [Gateway Pundit]
* Obama Upsets Sarkozy With Letter to Jacques Chirac [Gateway Pundit]
* Paris, Berlin bristle as Obama backs Turkey for EU [Reuters]
* Impending Obama Victory Already Trashing US Trade, Economy [MR]
* Four Theories Why Obama Is Throwing Britain Under The Bus [MR]
Previously:
* Arab Foreign Policy Experts: Obama’s "Islamic Family Roots" Will Make The Muslim World Like Us (Plus: Obama State Dept Going Pretty Much How You’d Expect)
* Obama White House Going Back To Stone Age Public Diplomacy: "Spread The Truth About American Values" (Plus: Obama’s "Ominous Evasiveness" About Cast Lead)
* Australia Embraces Anti-Israel Diplomacy In Anticipation Of Obama Administration
