While President Obama could not make it to Berlin to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall on this day in 1989, he did manage to say a few words:
“November 9th, 1989 will always be remembered and cherished in the United States. Like so many Americans, I’ll never forget the images of people tearing down the wall. There could be no clearer rebuke of tyranny. There could be no stronger affirmation of freedom.”
He went on to mention President Kennedy and himself, but one person was missing:
“Even as we celebrate these values, even as we mark this day, we know the work of freedom is never finished. In a Berlin under siege, President Kennedy said, “Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free.” Few would have foreseen on that day that a united Germany would be led by a woman from Brandenburg or that their American ally would be led by a man of African descent. But human destiny is what human beings make of it.”
Strangely enough, President Obama did not mention Ronald Reagan at all. This is not to say that Reagan was responsible for bringing down the wall, however, President Reagan was in office when it came down.
Do you think that it would be too much to ask to include Reagan in his speech since he was able to give a shout out to Kennedy and to himself?
Of course it is.
