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Should Barack Obama be in Berlin to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall?

There is one world leader who is not coming to Berlin to mark the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall -U.S. President Barack Obama. Much to the chagrin of the German government that spent months trying to get him, Obama won’t be here. It’s turned into a bit of a political controversy in the United States.

But it’s also intriguing to Germans and German media. Why isn’t Obama here? Berlin loves (most) American presidents — going back to John F. Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech. Is there more than meets the eye to Obama’s decision not to come?

Obama, of course, wanted to speak at the Brandenburg Gate in July 2008, when he was only the Democratic candidate. Merkel intervened to prevent that from happening — he ended up giving the speech a few km away at the Victory Column. Tomorrow, Obama could have spoken at the Brandenburg Gate.

Obama did come back to Berlin after that speech in front of 200,000 spectators as presidential candidate (www.reuters.com) last year — but only as a wax figure at Madame Tussauds (photo) The life-like creation was included at Madame Tussauds in Berlin, just a few blocks east of the Brandenburg Gate, in January.

So what do you think? Should Obama have come to Berlin?

Take part in our poll and look for results and more information on our Berlin Wall live blog: http://blogs.reuters.com/global/2009/11/04/the-berlin-wall-20/ poll by twiigs.com

One small step, again?

It’s been four decades since man last walked on the moon, but a new race to its craterous surface may be in the works. The cold war was behind the last space trek that saw U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong become the first to set foot on the lunar surface. This time, it may be simple pride that propels the next landing.

China and India have made important strides in space in recent months, and that has spurred talk of a new race – something the aerospace industry wouldn’t mind at all.

“The idea that the next boots on the moon are probably going to be Chinese is something that the public has not realized,” Marion Blakey, chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association, said at the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit.

Becoming a laggard in space exploration simply because of economic woes would sacrifice technology opportunities and the ability to inspire future generations, said Blakey.

What do you think? Should America return to the moon?