"Words, words, words" : The Berlin illusion

Barack Obama thought he could carry the day thanks to his much publicized speech in Berlin. Now, back at home, he is confronted with a hard-to-swallow reality : far from reassuring a still very cautious part of American voters, it seems that his trip abroad will finally have a negative impact on his campaign.

Indeed, only a few days after Obama's Grand Tour, the conclusion commonly shared by journalists in America and all over the world is that : Obama's speech in Berlin did little to help his cause in the current presidential election, and this is A FACT THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAD BETTER NOT CONTINUE TO IGNORE !

First described as a remarkable success, this trip has eventually put to the fore facts that Hillary's supporters have tried to emphasize for weeks : Obama is nothing but "words, words, words" (Shakespeare Hamlet Act II scene 2).

What should be extremely worrying for the Democratic Party is that, although Obama is considered as the already elected president by a majority of Europeans, Americans are still reluctant to view him as their Saviour. Worse : a lot of them, journalists included - for the first time since the "love story" between the media and him began- are starting to be extremely irritated with the man's arrogance and overweight ego.
Here is one of his latest statements :
"This is the moment…that the world is waiting for.…I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions."
So Obama is considering himself as the "saviour of the world" whereas before his tour, he was only thinking he would save America.

The problem is that he fails to convince his fellow-citizens.

Democrats should remember one thing : Europe and the rest of the world are not the USA !
In 2004, a lot of French people for example were convinced that John Kerry, although quite a weak candidate, would win against George Bush. Everybody knows what happened...
Most commentators today underline one obvious fact : if Obama was to be elected by Europeans, he would become president very easily. The problem is that the French, English people, or Germans do not vote ! 

 It's not because he is popular in Europe that Americans will inevitably choose him,on the contrary. As Pierre Rousselin writes in le Figaro :
"The fact that he triumphed in Europe does not necessarily means he will become president of the USA. Obama should be aware of other politicians who gradually became more popular abroad than in their own country : Tony Blair, Mikhaïl Gorbachev, Lech Walesa »."
In an article entitled "Obama risks praise from France", Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times reminds his readers that "French ties could come with a size of liability."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-campaign26-2008jul26,0,1621320.story
In the French newspaper Le Monde, it is even said that Obama's success in Europe, not only does not help, but could also prove to be a liability in his campaign :
http://www.lemonde.fr/elections-americaines/article/2008/07/26/le-succes-d-obama-en-europe-pourrait-le-penaliser-dans-la-campagne_1077653_829254.html#ens_id=904503
http://fr.novopress.info/?p=12351

But what's really new now is that even the American media is starting to have doubts whereas a few weeks earlier it gave the impression to already know the results of this election. The word "skepticism" has appeared for the first time, and a few criticisms are now being heard, especially on Obama's unbelievable arrogance.
The problem is that so far Democrats have refused to admit there might be an Obama problem.
The problem is that so far Democrats cling to their choice : they even refuse to consider the possibility of a vote for Hillary Clinton during the Denver Convention whereas she is totally entitled to, having won more popular votes than Obama, and no candidate having reached the necessary number of delegates.

How do they explain the fact that Obama's "presidential tour" has not made him gain in polls, on the contrary ?
There are still a lot of traditional Democrats, like women or working-class voters who do not believe in the Berlin illusion.  
We can quote The Christian Science Monitor in "How Obama's Foreign Trip Plays at Home", which remains skeptical on the final impact of the trip on voters, especially the constituency Obama has failed to convince so far : white working-class voters.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0728/p01s01-uspo.html
You remember, don't you, the voters he called "bitter" ?



And how do they explain that John Mc Cain, although he is hardly campaigning, has managed to gain some momentum in recent days, as now the two candidates are virtually tied in polls ?
Well, as far as I am concerned, I have got one explanation : the Republican camp is sure that their candidate is going to win. And if they are so confident, it is because they know that Obama is not electable. Or, maybe they prepare an "October surprise", knowing that some revelations could prove to be fatal, and just waiting for the good moment...

Whatever the explanation, this seems not very good news for Democrats...

So please, Democratic delegates and superdelegates, wake up : you've got only ONE choice in Denver : and this choice is called HILLARY !