Germans give Obama rock star welcome in Berlin

By Kerstin Gehmlich

BERLIN (Reuters) - Barack Obama got rock star treatment from hundreds of thousands of adoring Germans on Thursday, who climbed lamp posts to get a glimpse of the U.S. candidate they would like to vote for but can't.

"He's a pop star politician. Germany doesn't have any of those," said student Johannes Ellendorf, one of more than 200,000 people listening to Obama's speech in the centre of Berlin.

Waves of applause roared through the wide boulevard linking the Brandenburg Gate with the Victory Column, as Obama told Berliners the United States and Europe had to stand together and be partners who listened to each other.

Relations between Germany and the United States cooled over the invasion of Iraq, and many Germans said they hoped for a renewal in ties under a possible new U.S. president.

"I was really struck by his message for peace -- that we shouldn't just focus on every single conflict between Germany and the United States but look at our shared responsibility," said 40-year-old Matthias Bauschulte.

Watching the crowds, 65-year-old Hans-Gerd Stoever said the excited atmosphere reminded him of the scene in 1963, when he watched U.S. President John F. Kennedy tell a cheering crowd "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner).

"The streets were so crowded then, everybody was full of expectations -- like now," the white-haired Stoever said.

"But it's a completely different situation today. We live in a different world. And Obama has to walk his own way," he said.