clipped from: www.huffingtonpost.com   

German papers find more evidence that the Bush administration voiced strong opposition to an Obama speech at the Brandenberg Gate. Ben Smith reports:

Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt told the tabloid Bild -- the biggest paper in the country -- that "it would be nice if the German government would focus on strengthening its contacts to us rather than already beginning to look for our successors."


On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed unease about a possible Obama speech at the Brandenberg Gate. A spokesman said Merkel felt "great skepticism as to whether it is appropriate" for a U.S. election candidate to speak at "a place with a particular exclusivity, intensity and symbolism."

Thursday, Der Spiegel reported that Bush administration officials privately told the German government that they don't like the idea: