Europe & Obama

A very intriguing op-ed in The Times:

T[he] feeling in Europe, and especially in France, about Barack Obama’s presidency is as clear as day: we are envious.

We are aware that the results of Mr. Obama’s economic policy are not good — not yet — and that there is little chance they will be wonderful any time soon. Here, too, the results of our leaders’ economic policies are not at all good. We know these things. Nonetheless, we are envious because Americans are so evidently proud of their president. What is worse, we feel that Americans have a kind of faith in Barack Obama. We would love to feel the same way about our presidents and our leaders.

I think this op-ed goes a bit too far. Many Americans ardently oppose Obama. Even liberals, like me, take issue with many of the President's actions (his handling of the economy, his refusal to appoint a special prosecutor to look into torture, etc). That said, I believe that the op-ed captures the basic positive attitude toward Obama, both domestically and internationally. In many ways, I am proud of our President.