Chancellor Merkel is "an eloquent voice for human rights and dignity around the world," President says...President Obama presented German Chancellor Angela Merkel with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State Dinner in her honor, noting that it "is the highest honor a President can bestow on a civilian."
"Most honorees are Americans; only a few others have received it, among them Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, and Helmut Kohl," President Obama said.
The Chancellor grew up in Communist East Germany, and is the first woman Chancellor in Germany history, as well as the first East German to lead the unified German government.
"Tonight, we honor Angela Merkel not for being denied her freedom, or even for attaining her freedom, but for what she achieved when she gained her freedom," President Obama said, adding that Merkel is "an eloquent voice for human rights and dignity around the world."
*Getty photo
