I thoroughly enjoyed watching Spain's first game in the Euro 2008 soccer championship yesterday. They stomped Russia 4–1. Russia's goal was pretty lucky, and all four of Spain's were perfectly executed.
The motto for the Spanish team for the World Cup two years ago was, "¡A por ellos!" (which came with its own song). The motto for this Euro 2008 tournament is "¡Podemos!". A conversation I had yesterday:
Erik: "What do you think of the 'podemos' motto? Haven't I seen that somewhere before?" Marga: "I know!! How could they so shamelessly steal that from Obama?" Erik: "At least they didn't make it, 'Sí podemos', huh? I wonder how many Spaniards recognize the theft?" Marga: "No idea, but it's still embarrassing."
US Presidential politics and the Euro 2008 tournament dominated my conversations with the local grocers yesterday. It's strange to hear Spanish housewives talking about Clinton, Obama, and McCain.
Podemos.