There seems to be some discomfort with the positive reception Obama has received in Europe which strikes me as very strange. For the first time in many years, an American politician is being received in a positive manner, a phenomena we had taken for granted since WWII until GW Bush's reign. I think a deep impulse is at work, one that has fueled much of Obama's success in this country also. There is a deep need in much of the world to have a positive vision articulated by a strong communicator. In a world torn by strife, there is a weariness with the reactive belligerence we hear so often from politicians. The president has the "bully pulpit", but after years of incoherent drivel from our presidential podium, we seem to be having a hard time trusting that someone might indeed inspire and invigorate from it again. Indeed, after years of being brow beaten with fear, having our Constitution shredded, having our treasury stripped, our honor tarnished, and our 'can-do' attitude sullied by corruption, we seem almost frightened to believe in ourselves again. Europeans aren't burdened with all that. In Obama they see an America they can believe in again, and the strength of their interest in Obama symbolizes how important it is to have an America they can believe in. This is not something to be upset about.