Obama gives a speech in Berlin and gets possibly two hundred thousand foreigners to wave tiny American flags. What's the take of the jingosphere? "If Obama could go to Germany and give a speech in English and be not only understood but well-received, why does he say we all need to learn another language?" quoth K-Lo. "Obama has yet to see a Berlin bounce," said someone named Amy Holmes barely half an hour after the speech ended. "[W]hat's the real reason for Obama's last-minute decision to snub the troops in Germany?," demanded the Weekly Standard's John McCormack. (He must be a terrorist!!!!1!!)

A prediction. Years from now -- decades from now -- the right will congratulate America for being such a great country as to elect Barack Obama president, and use its self-congratulation to pretend that the country has transcended its race problems. It will conveniently ignore that an older generation of conservative preferred power to hope; avarice to vision; and imperialism to decency. Why do I feel so confident in predicting this? Because the right did it once before.