He is not George Bush!

Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee plans to arrive in the German capital this morning in the build-up to what is probably the most anticipated American campaign speech ever held on foreign soil,. One of Berlin's main city magazines even offered its readership cut-out American flags to wave at Barack Obama's planned address.

Many of us baby boomers remember those words shouted by John Kennedy when he spoke in Germany in the midst of the Cold War; “Ich bin ein Berliner…..I am a Berliner.” In 1963, Berlin was looking to Kennedy to show that Berlin would not be allowed to fall to communism.

More than a million people followed his progress across Berlin with people leaning from windows and sitting on the branches of trees to watch him pass. More than 400,000 were present to hear his speech in person and now the "Obama show," as one newspaper calls it, is set to take Berlin by storm today.

Berlin authorities say that as many as a million people could attend and suggested that those who want to hear Obama live should start arriving three hours earlier.  Four TV stations are broadcasting the entire speech, and the rest are scrambling to secure prime locations at the site.

Only around 13,000 Americans live in Berlin. So what is motivating Berliners and Germans in general to treat a Democratic presidential hopeful to such a royal welcome?

"For me he already is the American president," wrote one user of a Website about Obama's Berlin visit. "He may not be have been elected, but he's the president in people's hearts."

A significant part of Obama's popularity in Germany can be traced to the deep antipathy many Germans feel toward George W. Bush, particularly in the wake of the Iraq War.

There is an undertone of relief among German politicians that Bush will be gone in 2009. Asked about Obama's visit, figures from all the major parties stressed their hopes for greater cooperation, partnership and closeness between Germany and the US.

HERE IS PRESIDENT KENNEDY IN BERLIN – 1963