Obama's (Potential) Fumble #6: The World Is Watching

Obama won, and many in the world celebrated. Now what?
-- (Joe Burbank//MCT)

All throughout the world, people have been reacting to Obama's victory. Here are a few highlights:

• Kenya is celebrating with beeming pride. One man was quoted, referring to Obama's election, saying, "God is rewarding us."
  
  
• The Australian Prime Minister, along 9 other world leaders, congratulated Obama, stating: "As I've said before publicly, I believe him to be a very good man. I've also said publicly that his message of hope for America is, I believe, equally a message of hope for the world."
  
  
• Celebrations rung out in all areas of the world from India to Brazil to even China, with supporters liberally using the word 'change' to describe what an Obama presidency can do to both America and the world.

From these news reports and more, it is clear the world was watching on November 4th. If the reaction was anything to come, the world will be watching come January 20th, 2009 all the way until January 20th, 2012.

With Obama making history, all eyes will be on him in erasing what many view was a big 8-year stain on foreign relations with other countries. The main question raised in some newspapers on November 6th was: "will all this hope become a letdown?" Some of the topics raised in newspapers (via the Chicago Tribute) are:

• Jerusalem Post: "Obama's presidential success will depend on outmaneuvering, deterring and ultimately defeating those malicious global forces that peddle darkness and misery, and are sneering to themselves right now: 'No, you can't.'"
  
  
• Toronto Star: Don't expect too much from a president who is distracted by a "economic crisis, a debt mountain, two wars and making good on health and education reforms."
  
  
• Sydney Morning Herald: "No one needs to be reminded what happened to Abraham Lincoln, the last brilliant young newcomer from Illinois who made it all the way to the White House amid times of great national tribulation."
  
  
• The Daily Telegraph (in England): "(O)ne cannot help but have one overwhelming feeling: that the expectations are so insanely high, and the reality both at home and abroad so intractable in the short or even the medium term, that this is an administration that cannot but disappoint."

The expectations are high. Change needs to happen. America elected a man who many think can bring that change. However, seeing the reaction elsewhere, Americans aren't the only ones wanting that change.

The world is watching, Barack, You make the next move.



^ As Obama said after winning the presidency:

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Will the world be chanting that "timeless creed"? We have 4 long years to find out.