Europeans fired up and ready for Obama

post from Obama Blog on 23 July 2008 02:49:00 AM. © Obama Blog

Obamamania is reportedly alive and well in Europe. It's a touchy subject among some Barack Obama supporters who believe that there is suspicion among certain segments of American voters over an American leader who is popular abroad.

Polls show that Obama is the overwhelming favorite among U.S. presidential candidates among Germans, French and British.

Obama's first stop will be at one of Berlin's most famous landmarks, the Victory Column, on Thursday. The German news magazine Der Spiegel splashed the headline "Germany meets the superstar" over a photo of Obama on its cover this week.

The Illinois senator's call for a "Marshall Plan" to alleviate world poverty has sentimental value in this part of the world that America helped rebuild after World War II.

Obama is also seen as a type of "anti-Bush," on a continent where the current U.S. president if far from popular. Josef Braml, an America expert with the German Council on Foreign Relations, says simply about Europe's passion for Obama: "He's not Bush."

But most believe that European admiration for Obama goes deeper and that his message of change and unity rings a bell with most people in the region.

Reuters
Berlin wonders about Obama visit Report
Jul 09, 2008

Barack Obama's campaign unveiled a sparkling makeover for his chartered plane, seen here, ahead of the presumptive Democratic nominee's high-profile tour of the Middle East and Europe (AFP)

Paul Kekai Manansala is a freelance author and blogger from Sacramento, California.