Obama wants more from Germany

By Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - If Europeans had a vote, polls suggest Democratic candidate Barack Obama would be a shoo-in for U.S. president, but his speech to a huge crowd in Berlin showed he would be a more demanding partner than many realised.

A sea of about 200,000 German Obama admirers cheered on the senator from Illinois during a speech in Berlin's Tiergarten park on Thursday evening, welcoming his call for unity and admission that America had made mistakes.

But beneath the soaring rhetoric, German politicians and newspaper editorials said on Friday, lay a sobering message for Germany and Europe: you must do more.

"His message was that standing together means a willingness to share the burdens and make sacrifices," Eckart von Klaeden, a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, told German radio. "And he talked about civilian, but also military commitments, not only in Afghanistan."

German daily Handelsblatt said Obama's references to the Berlin airlift and Cold War showdowns with the Soviets served only as a parallel to the new challenges facing the United States and Europe, from Afghanistan, to Iraq, Iran and the broader fight against terrorism.

"The message that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama delivered in Berlin was clearer and cooler than expected: We are partners, but it's about to get tough," the paper wrote in an editorial.

"Those who expected emotional reminiscing and sweet promises from the candidate were disappointed," it said.

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