I think this speech especially appeals to older voters and to moderate Republicans. And maybe a prominent Republican foreign policy leader will decide to endorse Obama.

Ezra,
You're right! Ben Smith of Politico is reporting that:

"Obama, or his speechwriters, have pretty clearly been reading Andrei Cherny's new book on the Berlin Airilft, The Candy Bombers, which sounds like the source for a lot of the detail at the beginning of today's speech.

The book casts the 1948 airlift as a pivotal moment in restoring, particularly, American confidence -- a central theme for Obama.

There's a bit of a pedigree here: Cherny was Kerry's speechwriter, and the former boss of Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau."

Most younger folks don't probably know of the amazing Berlin airlift, but as Barak pointed out, it was a key moment/action in not only the western response to the the building cold war, but a crucial step in making Germany and the US partners closer than all but Britain. Maybe, maybe, some will learn about this as a result of his speech, and realize its appropriateness as a metaphor.

However, his 'taking down walls' worked even better, and is more contemporary.

He, IMO, avoided the pitfalls of making what might have sounded like a campaign speech, and actually renewed the call for cooperation and respect in human affairs - a message that most of the whole world wanted to hear from a US leader. The Bush contrast couldn't have been clearer.

For the first one-third of the speech I didn't get emotionally engaged, but by the end all the parts fit together as a seemless text. Change is going to come, and it won't be forced or threatened or fear-mongered, but LED by a man that respects all.

Although the young or historically illiterate may be unfamiliar with the Airlift, or for that matter, the Candy Bombers, who were the main human interest angle of the whole vast undertaking, many, many people were well acquainted with the story long before your friend cashed his advance check.

Berlin airlift...wait just one darned minute....Aren't Bush and McCain both military aviators??

Who would have thunk a military avaitor had anything to do with saving lives and freeing people from tyranny.....don't they know that job is best left to community organizers!!

Giving a speech in Europe apoligizing for America isn't going to go over well with anyone but those that already were going to vote for Obama.

The rest of his trip went fine, this speech was an overreach and a mistake.

It will help him mend fences with the media and the left after moving to the middle on guns and FISA, etc. but no
Republican much cares what Europe thinks. We fought a war to win our freedom and we fought a war to set them free and they have been nothing but ingrates ever since.

A historical note: Berlin received food and other by means other than the airlift. In particular, it's my understanding that large amounts of food came into West Berlin from from Soviet occupied Germany, both via black market transactions and the Soviet desire to support the population friendly to them in West Berlin and gain more support, and West Berlin residents pro-forma taking up residence in the Soviet Sector, to gain access to rations there -- where all three of these causes overlap.

So if you've wondered how the US flew in enough supplies to sustain West Berlin, the answer is it didn't. Both sides were trying to buy hearts and minds with food.

Still a turning point in history, but messier on the ground than official memory recalls.