It seems that Europeans are starting to get the jitters over the likelihood that their preferred American presidential candidate could once again be defeated.
For France’s Rue 89, Samuel Ghiles Meilhac writes of French adherence to Barack Obama:
“In France, the matter is settled: Barack Obama, our idol, the candidate of us all, in the strange political unanimity that we secretly adhere to when we look beyond our borders, will win triumphantly in November. In fact, we show almost no interest at all in John McCain, that old white-haired reactionary.”
And then, Meilhac expresses doubts:
“Remember the 2004 election and … what was his name? Ah, yes, John Kerry! He made headlines in Courrier International, Télérama and Nouvel Observateur. He was supposed to make us love a new America. He spoke French, too. We even went as far as reviving, politically and in the media, his cousin Brice Lalonde, to get him to tell us about his teenage vacations with him in Brittany. A whack in the face! George W. Bush was triumphantly re-elected. No need to recount the votes from Florida this time, the Republicans had thrashed the Democratic Party. Few people in France ever wondered why our desires and predictions were such a long way from American political reality.”
Later, Meilhac warns his readers:
“Let’s hope that in future, we will look a little more lucidly at these realities. We shouldn’t be disappointed if a President Obama isn’t thinking about us while shaving in the White House, let alone have a falling out with John McCain, who may very well prevail.”
By Samuel Ghiles Meilhac
By Sandrine Agoerges
August 25, 2008
France – Rue 89 – Original Article (French)
In France, the matter is settled: Barack Obama, our idol, the candidate of us all, in the strange political unanimity that we secretly adhere to when we look beyond our borders, will win triumphantly in November. In fact, we show almost no interest at all in John McCain, that old white-haired reactionary.
Nicolas Sarkozy also succumbed to Obamania, overdoing it by the ton during the Democratic candidate’s very brief July 25th visit to France. In order to get the message in, he bragged about his meeting with the Illinois Senator in 2006 in Washington: “There were two of us in that office, and there were two of us in my office. And one of us became president. Well, let the other do likewise.”
We feigned ignorance about the lack of interest he paid to France. That day, in the courtyard of the Elysée Palace, journalists from French television explained that if he was only spending four hours in Paris – while he was spending a night in London and had held a meeting in Berlin – it wasn’t a sign that France now shined a little less in the concert of nations, it was simply a question of scheduling. Of course!
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated and English foreign press coverage of the Biden nomination, the conventions and the U.S. election. In the past 24 hours, we have posted U.S. election coverage from South Korea, India, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Israel, Germany, France, Britain and Portugal.
