A columnist for The Guardian warns American voters that the world will not easily forgive us if we decline to be led by The OneTM. But first, there’s this British worry over the manner in which the sycophantic American media has rolled over for Sarah Palin:
I watch as the Democrats stumble, uncertain how to take on Sarah Palin. Fight too hard, and the Republican machine, echoed by the ditto-heads in the conservative commentariat on talk radio and cable TV, will brand Democrats sexist, elitist snobs, patronising a small-town woman. Do nothing, and Palin’s rise will continue unchecked, her novelty making even Obama look stale, her star power energising and motivating the Republican base. So somehow Palin slips out of reach, no revelation – no matter how jaw-dropping or career-ending were it applied to a normal candidate – doing sufficient damage to slow her apparent march to power, dragging the charisma-deprived McCain behind her.
But then we get down to the nitty-gritty:
If Sarah Palin defies the conventional wisdom that says elections are determined by the top of the ticket, and somehow wins this for McCain, what will be the reaction? . . . For Obama has stirred an excitement around the globe unmatched by any American politician in living memory. Polling in Germany, France, Britain and Russia shows that Obama would win by whopping majorities, with the pattern repeated in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. If November 4 were a global ballot, Obama would win it handsomely. If the free world could choose its leader, it would be Barack Obama.
But maybe the question answers itself! If John McCain is victorious in November, perhaps the E.U. could amend its constitution to allow Barack Obama to run for president over there. It’s win-win-win!
