By Laura Smith - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) addressed a crowd of students, teachers and press at John Hopkins University about the historic event's impact on global human rights.
“The Berlin Wall fell for many reasons... Economic power had a lot to do with, for without the combined wealth of the west, we would never have overcome our darkest hours of need. Military power also had a lot to do with, for without the strength to defend ourselves, our dreams of peace would have remained just that. But beyond all of this, what truly toppled the Berlin Wall and ended the Cold War, was a deeper power, a moral power. The universal appeal of human rights and the support of the west for all those who struggled with these values from behind the Iron Curtain," McCain said.
The Arizona Republican, who last year ran for President against Barack Obama, stressed the need for the U.S. to continue to set the worldwide standard for individual freedom.
“The United States has a special responsibility to champion human rights in all places for all peoples and at all times. Why us? The answer, I think is simple. It’s who we are.”
McCain's remarks came just days before Obama sets out on his first presidential trip to Asia; a visit in which he is expcted to address human rights abuses in Singapore and Tibet.
"If we believe in the power and appeal of our values, they can supply us all at once with the strength to push for what we believe is right, the patience to endure what are often generational struggles, and the confidence to know that we are on the right side of history," he said.
McCain Credits Fall Of Berlin Wall To Global Human Rights Appeal
On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) addressed a crowd of students, teachers and press at John Hopkins University about the historic event's impact on global human rights.
“The Berlin Wall fell for many reasons... Economic power had a lot to do with, for without the combined wealth of the west, we would never have overcome our darkest hours of need. Military power also had a lot to do with, for without the strength to defend ourselves, our dreams of peace would have remained just that. But beyond all of this, what truly toppled the Berlin Wall and ended the Cold War, was a deeper power, a moral power. The universal appeal of human rights and the support of the west for all those who struggled with these values from behind the Iron Curtain," McCain said.
The Arizona Republican, who last year ran for President against Barack Obama, stressed the need for the U.S. to continue to set the worldwide standard for individual freedom.
“The United States has a special responsibility to champion human rights in all places for all peoples and at all times. Why us? The answer, I think is simple. It’s who we are.”
McCain's remarks came just days before Obama sets out on his first presidential trip to Asia; a visit in which he is expcted to address human rights abuses in Singapore and Tibet.
"If we believe in the power and appeal of our values, they can supply us all at once with the strength to push for what we believe is right, the patience to endure what are often generational struggles, and the confidence to know that we are on the right side of history," he said.