David Brooks’s column “Playing Innocent Abroad” in today’s New York Times provides a thoughtful analysis of Sen. Obama’s speech yesterday in Berlin. It decomposes Sen. Obama’s lofty rhetoric, placing his remarks in the proper context: reality.

When John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan went to Berlin, their rhetoric soared, but their optimism was grounded in the reality of politics, conflict and hard choices. Kennedy didn’t dream of the universal brotherhood of man. He drew lines that reflected hard realities: “There are some who say, in Europe and elsewhere, we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin.” Reagan didn’t call for a kumbaya moment. He cited tough policies that sparked harsh political disagreements —…