Word: french
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...campaign got itself into a minor but unnecessary disagreement with the Pentagon on Friday about why Obama scheduled then cancelled a visit to a military hospital in Germany. But most things broke his way: Iraqi leader Nouri al-Maliki all but mimicked his timetable for redeployment of troops; French President Sarkozy all but endorsed him; even the prayer he left in the Western Wall had leaked before week's end. For all that, though, it will be some time before we know whether independent voters who are not yet sold on Obama, will come to see this campaign swing...
...measure of the impact of a week in which Americans saw Obama taking a helicopter ride with David Petraeus, the commanding general in Iraq, and sinking a three-pointer in a basketball game with troops in Kuwait; receiving what amounted to an endorsement from a smitten French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and addressing a Berlin crowd of 200,000 - three times larger than any he has ever drawn in the United States. "I don't think these are the issues that are driving the polls right now," said David Axelrod, the Obama campaign's chief strategist. "I think the economy...
...always been to a politician's advantage to be loved in Europe - just ask John "Looks French" Kerry. Republicans are hoping that Obama's trip will backfire with voters as an exercise in presumption. "This week the presidential contest was a long-distance affair, with my opponent touring various continents and arriving yesterday in Paris," McCain said in his weekly radio address. "With all the breathless coverage from abroad, and with Senator Obama now addressing his speeches to 'the people of the world,' I'm starting to feel a little left out. Maybe...
That enthusiasm for Obama resounded beyond the Elys?e, where the Senator's car was briefly blocked by a multinational crowd of supporters who spilled into the street, chanting his name. The French press and public were infected with the same Obama-mania that rocked Germany the day before - and that indeed has followed the Democratic candidate throughout his tour overseas. Sarkozy's evident support of Obama, meanwhile, mirrored the demonstratively warm reception the American has enjoyed from leaders and publics during his trip - which may help combat accusations from McCain that he's a virtual stranger to the world...
Still, American public perceptions of France remain partially shaped by Paris' opposition to the Iraq war - meaning, as John Kerry painfully discovered, accusations of excessive association with the French can seriously handicap a candidate. For that reason, Obama was asked whether his mere five-hour stopover in Paris - and the absence of any public appearances that would have reproduced the rock-star welcome Berliners showed him Friday - was intended to avoid allegations that he'd become France's candidate...