'Ich Bin Ein Obama!' European Trip Expected to Hasten Comparisons to JFK; Barack Welcomes "Compare -Alot"

As the foreign press reports, the upcoming trip by presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama is likely to increase the number of comparisons of him to the halcyon "Camelot" days of the late President John F. Kennedy -- what this blog refers to as "Compare-Alot." As we noted before, more than 2,000 published comparisons of Obama to JFK have been made by the press so far this year. Lots of the comparisons are superficial ("They're both skinny!") but there are real substantive similarities that aren't really being discussed. (Like how do you win election to the presidency when you face bigotry because you come from a minority group? JFK's Catholicism was the number issue of the 1960 campaign). The new Obama trip to Germany may throw that number into the stratosphere. Unless the Bushies can prevent it, plans are being discussed about a speech by Obama at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, reminiscient of JFK's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" - I am a Berliner -- speech in 1963. Of course, readers of a certain book will know that JFK insisted on stopping in Ireland right after that Berlin appearance. If the Kennedys really have influence, maybe Obama will stop in Dublin too!