The American presidential candidate Barack Obama is not as far away from Germany as it seems. In fact, he's very much on the minds of German politicians envious of the good ratings he gets from the German media, the German public, the voters. His announcement that he wanted to hold a speech at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate - always a good presidential calling card - caused quite a stir in political circles, and an irritated rejection from the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as aides scrambled to find another, "appropriate" venue during his up-and-coming Berlin visit. Many wonder what it is that makes Mr Obama such a political magnet - even though he gives little insight into his foreign policy plans: