Tens of Thousands Go Wild for Obama in Dublin

Barack Obama let his Irish pride shine today in a speech before an exultant sea of people in Dublin, telling them he'd come to reaffirm the US' enduring friendship with Ireland, the AP reports. "There's always been a little green behind the red, white, and blue," he told the roughly 30,000 people crowding the streets of central Dublin to hear him, praising the many who had emigrated from Ireland to America, and reveling in his own Irish roots.

"My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas," the president said. Then, implying that his name could as easily be spelled "O'Bama," he joked, "I've come home to find the apostrophe that we lost somewhere along the way." The speech was more of an inspirational outpouring of personal pride than a political address, and the adoring crowd cheered virtually every line. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny introduced Obama in rousing terms, declaring, "The 44th president is different, because he doesn't just speak about the American dream. He is the American dream!" (Before the speech, he downed a pint of Guinness; click here to find out who wouldn't do the same.)