On this day between summits, the new American president engaged Europe offering to re-new better relations, but warning it will take change on both sides of the Atlantic. "In recent years, allowed to drift in America, there's failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. America's showed arrogance, dismissive, divisive. But in Europe, there is anti-Americanism. Casual, insidious," said Obama.
No offense was taken by the sports arena crowd of French and Germans who gave the American president a thunderous applause at the end of an hour-long town hall meeting.
Except for the accents, the whole event could have been mistaken for a U.S. presidential campaign rally.
Across the Rhine River, president and Mrs. Obama finished the day with German chancellor Angela Merkel.
The support of these two European leaders will be crucial as President Obama asks Europe to shoulder more of the burden in Afghanistan.
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