A recurring question posed by my mom since I’ve arrived is, what is the overall opinion Europe has of Barack Obama? Apparently, as of late, he´s being drawn and quartered by those who once supported him.
To be honest, I’ve seen very little that would give me an inkling of how Europe sees our President. I know. It’s hard to believe that not ALL people see our fair president as the center of the universe, but these folks (at least the Brits) 
must be thinking about other things like their own spineless, rotten, government.
But according to my friends Julie and Colin, England sees Obama as one who can do no wrong.
I heard an interview with Johnny Depp (a well-known johnny-come-lately to France) as I was passing by the “telly” the other day, and he was asked what he thought of Obama. Depp stated that he felt that Barack Obama was ¨a breath of fresh air¨ that our country has so badly needed since having to endure, “you know, “What’s-His-Name” for the past 8 years.¨
And there you have it. As far as I´m concerned, such opinions pretty much sum up the whole and are the only ones that matter.
Yeah, I think that Obama is doing the best he can with the cards he was dealt. When he speaks, he’s just a tiny bit tentative—which says to me that he doesn’t think he has all the answers, like old What’s His Name. Obama has a grasp of how complex the issues are, and that there are no simple answers–like “Bring ‘em on!” and “Mission Accomplished!” Just his understanding that makes me feel more confident. He also has to get down to what’s real, politically. Not easy but necessary.
He’s not perfect, and that’s been hard to take. Think maybe I was living a fantasy? He still looks good to me, in spite of some really awful choices he’s made. He’s an urban dweller, which also may enhance his appeal to Europeans, but he still has much to learn (and knows it, I think). I’m willing to wait–but I imagine he looks so great from afar, and so different from our playboy W, who, down deep, is so shallow.