5 weeks 9 hours 28 min ago Obama speaks to more than 200,000 in Germany Play video

(Alison King, NECN) - More than 200-thousand Germans greeted Barack Obama as he walked calmly and confidently across the stage at the base of Berlin’s victory tower located in the heart of the city.

OBAMA: Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen - a proud citizen of the United States and a fellow citizen of the world.

But it was hard to separate the politics from this speech the centerpiece of a whirlwind tour through the Middle East and Europe designed to showcase Obama as a world leader.

OBAMA: In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth.

Obama used the post world war two era and the fall of the Berlin wall to show how Europeans and Americans could come together to defeat terrorism.
He did not dwell on the Iraq war, using Afghanistan instead to highlight a common mission.

OBAMA: No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO's first mission beyond Europe's borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone.

And Obama drew large applause when he talked about ending nuclear

OBAMA: It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama's remarks quickly drew comparisons to the historic speeches given by presidents Kennedy and Reagan in the same city -- a comparison the Obama campaign will likely not try to

OBAMA: People of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment. This is our time.
I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we've struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all our people. We've made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions. But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived - at great cost and great sacrifice - to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world.