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In recent years, America's go-it-alone foreign policy and the waging of a pre-emptive war have damaged
our reputation and angered many of our more reliable friends overseas. But the French family —
who drank us a toast and honored our flag — remembered America at its best.
Europe has long been thankful for how the United States helped free them from fascist Germany, and
continued to help out even after the war. Florentine friends tell me of the huge celebration the day a
military convoy of trucks flying American flags returned the art treasures the Nazis took from them.
In Burgundy, French aristocrats still treasure the 48-star flag they hoisted over their chateau on the day in 1944 when American troops liberated them from the Nazis.
A friend on the Rhine has lived out a lifelong promise to give visiting Americans an extra dose of
hospitality, as thanks for the care packages sent by Americans that he says literally saved him from
starving in the hungry months after World War II. Every time I say the name of a Belgian friend, I
remember that his parents named him Johnnie after one of the American soldiers who liberated them in
1944. The same is true of Frankie, who runs a clock shop in Rothenburg, Germany. His parents named him
after an American pop star, a favorite of theirs in the years when the Marshall Plan was helping
to rebuild their bombed-out homeland.
Yet in the last decade or so, Americans abroad have seen plenty of anti-U.S. rallies, posters, and headlines.
A friend who runs a travel bookstore in California claims he's sold more Canadian flags than American
ones. It doesn't surprise me that Americans abroad who see the letters USA spray-painted on STOP signs,
and the face of our president taped to "Beware of the Dog" signs, would be concerned about how they're
received and might even hide their nationality.
Fortunately, people have long treated American travelers kindly, as individuals rather than
government representatives. Everywhere I've traveled in recent years — from Paris to San Salvador to
Shanghai to Tehran — I've found that people like Americans and respect our ideals, if not our actions.
They simply couldn't support our foreign policy.
Americans would ask, "Don't they remember how we freed them from the Nazis and the Soviets?" And I
would answer with certainty, "Yes. But that doesn't mean they will march wherever we ask them to march."
The sad reality is that, in the first decade of the 21st century, if you were in marketing in
Europe, one of your responsibilities was to comb any hint of America out of your marketing material.
California used to sell. But in recent years, that's been the kiss of death for retail in Europe. On a
recent visit to Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators, I found congress people were concerned about
what they called "the brand of America." It's true. Overseas, the brand of America took a beating
over the last decade.
With a new political era dawning in America, the world is paying attention. I remember the first time my Italian friends
expressed a curiosity and enthusiasm about some black politician named "Alabama." Now everyone knows Obama's name, and
we have a president whom people around the world want to look up to.
America is actually trendy politically.
There's talk of electing Turkish legislators in Germany and North African candidates in France.
Who knows, people might even start naming their children Barack. One thing is for sure, I can hardly
wait to fly to Europe and share the joy as our friends there welcome back the old America, with its new
determination to engage respectfully with the world.
Rick Steves is the bestselling author of international travel guidebooks and hosts PBS' "Rick Steves'
Europe" as well as a National Public Radio travel show. Visit at www.ricksteves.com.
© 2009 Rick Steves Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Barack Obama Presidential Inauguration Articles
Reviewing Presidential Inaugural History
The inauguration of the first black president will long be remembered as a momentous day in history, but many past
inaugurals also have had their memorable moments. Inaugurals are a mixture of pomp, festival and gravity, the
American equivalent of a coronation. Their rituals are laden with symbols of national purpose, continuity and
unity. For 220 years, they have marked the peaceful transfer of power, a feat few other countries have achieved.
Obama Presidential Inauguration Schedule & Events
With all of the excitement surrounding the event, it’s easy to forget there have been many inaugurations before it. Over
the years, the inauguration has become highly formalized, with the day’s scheduled events taking on almost ritualistic
significance. A look at the Obama Inauguration schedule, events from past inaugurals and how & when certain inaugural
events became part of Inauguration Day.
Obama Inauguration Facts, Trivia and Information for Kids
Parade, luncheon, ball. Being inaugurated sounds like fun. But what exactly is an
inauguration? What happens? Here are answers to your most pressing questions. Plus Inauguration Trivia, Presidential
Pets and the Obama Girls
Obama's new Home was Slow to Integrate
Not too long ago, Barack Obama would have found when he moved his family to Washington that his daughters
couldn’t attend the same schools white children could. They couldn’t try on clothes or shoes at most
local department stores, or eat at downtown lunch counters. Or see a play at the National Theatre or a
movie just a block or two from the White House.
Obama Isn't the Only One Being Inaugurated on January 20th
Arianna Huffington
Barack Obama is not the only one being inaugurated on January 20. And that's not just because Obama has promised to make a call to service "a central cause" of his presidency.
Top 43 Hits - Memorable Lines from Past Presidential Inaugurals
On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will stand before Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and swear the
oath prescribed in Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution as the 44th President of the United States.
After taking the oath President Obama will give an inaugural address. Since George Washington's first
inaugural address, many memorable words have been spoken and are among the most enduring and frequently
quoted.
America Receives a Leading Man for the Dramas Ahead
Garrison Keillor
When President Obama takes his hand off the Bible and walks to the Capitol lectern, he carries real power in his pocket,
maybe more than any president since FDR, and some of it he has earned and some is a gift.
Don't Take that Oath, Barack
Mark Bazer
Personally, I'm hoping for a new piece of presidential trivia come Inauguration Day. I'm hoping Barack Obama becomes the
first person elected president to refuse to take the Oath of Office. In other words, I hope he turns down the job.
Don't get me wrong — I like and admire Obama. But that said, and for all Obama's clearly evident wisdom and sound judgment, I just don't
know if president of the United States is the ideal job for him.
Riding on the Wings of Change
Amy Dickinson
Our new president is offering us more than the promise of change. With his historic election, he offered us the
optimistic idea that we can do what we must do. In my experience studying the human condition, we only change
when there is no alternative. And now, there is no alternative. Our national challenges trickle down into our
households. We have family members at war, our jobs aren't secure, our retirement savings seem to be disappearing
and our material lifestyle is under assault.
America in Shock
Nathan Gardels
As we head into 2009, America is in shock. It is not because of the unusual sight of the first black president
taking up residence in the White House. Barack Obama's profile, after all, is familiar to the diverse
population of today's ethnically and racially hybrid America. America is in shock because our economic
and financial landscape is suddenly unrecognizable.
Great Expectations
Cal Thomas
With Barack Obama, it is the reverse. Perhaps because of his
eloquence, lithe body, handsome face and beautiful family (and because he is not George W. Bush),
expectations are so high that they are beyond the reach of any mortal. Perhaps that is why Obama
has been disparagingly referred to as "the messiah" and "the one."
Awaiting the Transformational Presidency
Arianna Huffington
President-elect Barack Obama is obsessed with Lincoln, who changed the country both by changing government policy and by
using the bully pulpit to help us change ourselves.
Europeans Love 'Alabama'
Rick Steves
With a new political era dawning in America, the world is paying attention. I remember the first time my Italian
friends expressed a curiosity and enthusiasm about some black politician named "Alabama." Now everyone knows
Obama's name, and we have a president whom people around the world want to look up to.
Is This the End of Black
Leonard Pitts
Those who claim we live in a post-racial America are guilty of no sin greater than wishful thinking. But
that doesn't make them any less incorrect. Not simply because people are still being pulled over for driving
black but, more fundamentally, because Obama's victory does not mean what some of us think it does. I don't
mean to suggest it does not embody breathtaking progress — it does.
A New Way of Being on this Planet
Robert Koehler
Something has to change about how we conduct our business and live our lives . . . no, that's putting it too mildly. A spiritual
awakening has to occur, the shock and awe of awareness as we look unblinking at the state of the world as it really is.
As the Decider, The True Barack Obama will Become Clear
Jonah Goldberg
Over the interminably long campaign, Obama's positions "evolved" to suit his political needs. This is hardly
extraordinary. Pretty much every successful presidential candidate embarks on a similar ideological migration
Special Inaugural Crossword Puzzle
Can you solve this special inaugural crossword with your mom, dad or your favorite grown-up?
Yes, you can! Kids solve the across clues while adults tackle the down ones.
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