What would Barack Obama say at a public speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin?

“Mr. Bush, tear down this missile defense system?”

“Can’t I just finish my jelly doughnut?”

If Team Obama wants to do this, they had better bring their A-game. It’s a borderline sacred spot to many Americans.

Obama is free to speak anywhere the Germans will have him. But some might find it a bit presumptuous for a candidate to speak at the site of two of the most famous foreign addresses by American presidents in recent memory.

UPDATE: Campaign Spot reader Tim notes, “A small point, but President Kennedy gave his /Ich bin ein Berliner/ speech in front of the Schoeneberg Rathaus, which is a few miles away from the Brandenburg Gate. At that time, the Schoeneberg Rathaus served as the City Hall of West Berlin, since the City Hall of the entire Berlin (pre-1945 and post-1989) is in East Berlin. He had earlier that day toured the wall in front of the Gate, which is the photo you’ve included.”