An American in Paris: Obama roadshow rolls on

It is the most romantic city in the world and, like much of Europe, Paris looks to have fallen in love with Barack Obama

A warm welcome is expected today as the French capital plays host to the man who would be the next President of the United States.

The Democratic candidate has already seduced Germany. An enthusiastic crowd of at least 200,000 gathered in Berlin, under the spell of the Illinois senator who spoke of transatlantic relations and global unity.

“In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in the world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common,” he said.
“America has no better partner than Europe. Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe, as strong as the one that binds us across the Atlantic.”

With his seven nation tour and meetings with world leaders like Germany’s Angela Merkel, Obama hopes to prove his foreign policy credentials to doubters back home.

But Republican candidate John McCain says he already knows many of the European political heavyweights in question. And he took a swipe at Obama over his rival’s rock star reception in Berlin.

“I would love to give a speech in Germany too, a political speech or a speech that maybe the German people would be interested in,” he told reporters in Ohio.
“But I would much prefer to do it as President of the United States rather than as a candidate for the office of presidency.”

McCain, for whom foreign policy is considered a strength, said he would focus on issues at home while his opponent travelled abroad.

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