An Invitation for Disappointment

While Obama's adoring European fans are waiting for his Berlin speech with baited breath, European leaders are not jumping on the Obama bandwagon. Why is this not surprising? According to Reuters:

His appearance at the "Victory Column" in Berlin's central Tiergarten park is expected to draw huge crowds and is being likened in advance to former president John F. Kennedy's celebrated "Ich bin ein Berliner" performance of 1963.

But in the German Chancellery a few hundred meters away there is unease with the Illinois senator's cult-like following and skepticism about whether he can live up to the hype.

"There is a sort of Obama-mania in Germany right now, but I think a lot of people will have their illusions shattered if he does become president," an official in Chancellor Angela Merkel's office told Reuters, requesting anonymity.

They certainly can't be blamed for their angst at the thought of an Obama presidency. With his shifting positions, voting record and naivete they should be downright scared. Barack Obama is trying to portray himself as some sort of world leader when he's not even half way through his first term as junior senator from Illinois. Who is he kidding? Eckart von Klaeden summed it up quite nicely when he said "Euphoria in politics is an invitation for disappointment."