In Global Election, Obama Wins in Landslide

The presidential race may be a dead heat here in the United States. Across the globe, however, it’s a landslide for Sen. Barack Obama.

Two extensive international polls show the Democratic nominee with far more popular support than Sen. John McCain in a wide array of countries around the world.

One poll, released by the BBC on Tuesday, has Obama with strong leads in all 22 countries surveyed. Kenyans, not surprisingly, are the most supportive of their native son — preferring him to McCain by an 87-5 margin.

Indians are least enthusiastic about Obama; just 24 percent support him, compared to 15 percent for McCain.

Here are the numbers in some of the countries polled:

France: Obama, 69 percent; McCain, 6 percent
Italy: Obama, 72 percent; McCain, 12 percent
Russia: Obama, 18 percent; McCain, 7 percent (no preference, 75 percent)
Brazil: Obama, 51 percent; McCain, 8 percent
China: Obama, 35 percent; McCain, 15 percent
Mexico: Obama, 54 percent; McCain, 16 percent
Indonesia: Obama, 46 percent; McCain, 11 percent
Egypt: Obama, 36 percent; McCain, 13 percent

A strong majority of respondents in most countries say that U.S. relations with the world would improve more under a President Obama than under a President McCain. The one exception is Turkey — where 11 percent anticipate an improvement under Obama, compared to 15 percent under McCain.

Responses vary on whether the election of an African-American would fundamentally change the international perception of the United States. Kenyans say that Obama’s election would achieve this by an 86-11 margin. Poland falls on the opposite extreme — with 60 percent expecting little to no change.

A second poll, conducted in 12 European countries by the German Marshall Fund and released yesterday, finds strikingly similar results. Overall, 69 percent of Europeans support Obama, compared to 26 percent who back McCain.

Many people outside the United States have proposed, not entirely in jest, that because U.S. foreign policy has dramatic effects on the international economic and diplomatic scene, the worldwide populace should get a few electoral votes in the U.S. presidential election.

Unfortunately for Obama, that won’t be happening anytime soon.