http://politicsandpress.com/2008/when-america-stood-tall-the-berlin-airlift-of-1948/ The interaction of the press and politics; public diplomacy, and daily absurdities. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:36:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 http://politicsandpress.com/2008/when-america-stood-tall-the-berlin-airlift-of-1948/#comment-3660 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:58:02 +0000 http://politicsandpress.com/2008/when-america-stood-tall-the-berlin-airlift-of-1948/#comment-3660 The Berlin airlift was one of those singular events that shined a light on the good that the US could do, perhaps giving hope to oppressed peoples in other parts of the world. America had stood up for what was right, and it was admired around the world. No nation makes all the right calls all the time, of course. And the US certainly made its share of foreign policy mistakes in the years to come, e.g., Latin America in the 50s and Southeast Asia in the 60s and 70s. But what other country's leader could have traveled to West Berlin 15 years after the Berlin airlift [and 18 years after the end of WWII!], declare himself a "Berliner", and be mobbed in unrestrained adoration by thousands and thousands of grateful Germans? It's impossible to imagine, today, a similar scene unfolding anywhere in the world with the participation of the current US President. Today the US is despised or, at a minimum, ignored by most other nations of the world. The current US Administration has led the nation into a deep black hole both in matters of foreign policy and domestic policy. It will take more than Bush's apparent successor, Barack Obama, can deliver to dig ourselves out of that hole. But it is time to begin. The Berlin airlift was one of those singular events that shined a light on the good that the US could do, perhaps giving hope to oppressed peoples in other parts of the world. America had stood up for what was right, and it was admired around the world. No nation makes all the right calls all the time, of course. And the US certainly made its share of foreign policy mistakes in the years to come, e.g., Latin America in the 50s and Southeast Asia in the 60s and 70s. But what other country’s leader could have traveled to West Berlin 15 years after the Berlin airlift [and 18 years after the end of WWII!], declare himself a “Berliner”, and be mobbed in unrestrained adoration by thousands and thousands of grateful Germans? It’s impossible to imagine, today, a similar scene unfolding anywhere in the world with the participation of the current US President. Today the US is despised or, at a minimum, ignored by most other nations of the world. The current US Administration has led the nation into a deep black hole both in matters of foreign policy and domestic policy. It will take more than Bush’s apparent successor, Barack Obama, can deliver to dig ourselves out of that hole. But it is time to begin.

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