US election 2008: Britain's backing Obama: Democrat beats McCain by five votes to one

[Bozita]

Source: The Guardian UK


US election 2008: Britain's backing Obama: Democrat beats McCain by five votes to one
Julian Glover and Ewen MacAskill in Washington
The Guardian, Monday July 14, 2008
Article history

Barack Obama is overwhelmingly Britain's choice to be the next US president, five times more popular than his Republican rival, John McCain, a Guardian/ICM poll shows today. Carried out ahead of the Democratic candidate's visit to Britain next week, the poll reveals that 53% feel certain he would make the best president, with only 11% favouring McCain; 36% declined to express an opinion.

Obama will soon set off on a marathon trip that will take in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan, Germany, France and, lastly, Britain. The exact timing of the visit to Iraq and Afghanistan is being kept under wraps for security reasons, but he is expected in Britain on July 25 or 26. His campaign team and the British government had originally discussed making the UK his first stop but, citing diary clashes, rescheduled it as the last.

It will be his first trip overseas - apart from a holiday weekend in the Caribbean - since he launched his bid for the White House in February last year. The aim is to counter accusations from McCain that he lacks foreign experience.

Obama's poll lead may have as much to do with his high profile and recognition factor as it does his policies. But it underlines the desire among US allies to see a change of political direction there after eight years of George Bush. Obama's campaign team hopes to use the European leg of the trip to press home to the US public that replacing Bush with the Democratic candidate should see America's popularity in Europe restored.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/14/barackobama.johnmccain

[Captain Hilts]

1. It's a wonder the Dems don't give the Brits a primary!

WSC: Wanna switch jobs Mr. President?

FDR: Fine, but I get to keep my navy...

[opihimoimoi]

2. McEnvy must be boiling over, seething, flipping over this...."Damn...he beat me to it"

[stillcool]

3. the world wanted a Democrat

the last time too.

[Sadie5]

4. Who cares what the British think

This article is not to be believed. Obama is continuously losing support in the US. I think it is a planted piece complete with the ring circling his head meant to look like a halo, something meant to confuse the voters further.

[stillcool]

5. confuse voters?

I'm sure there are many who don't care what the world thinks, but the world is very concerned with what Americans think...it is on their heads that the bombs will fall. I have no idea what voters you are speaking of, or the analogy with Obama's supposed losing of support.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Hmmm

[THale2]

8. He is loosing support because

Of self serving Dems..I sure don't see Malkin, Hannity and Coulter trashing McLame like we do Obama on our sites...they keep family business to themselves and don't discuss with outsiders to a certain extent...not the good ole Dems though...this is why we only have had 3 Dems win the house in the last 40 years..thats a joke...we have become a joke...our ideologies are spread to far apart to be a cohesive party......I am a Dem but I don't agree with some of the far left leaning individuals of the party...but I still support all my candidates, because at the end of the day, I know that the Dem will agree with my policies and worldview much more so than a Conservative candidate..

[Karl_Bonner_1982]

7. Bush-style conservatism is just not very popular in UK

...Nor in continental Europe. A European conservative would never dream of proposing the kind of reactionary extremes that have become standard Republican Party protocol.

[comtec]

9. CNN International did a great interview with him this weekend

it was really amazing.
They were just sitting and talking, he questions were not gotcha, but they did deal with all the bullshit going on in the US around Obama. It was a great , tasteful, respectful interview that shows how it should be done.

The topics covered were many and .. OMFG I really want him as president!

I wish you could see this interview, but the sad truth is that CNN International is a COMPLETELY different animal than CNN at home :(