European perspective on the Election

I have been astounded by the intense interest in this upcoming US election on the part of Europeans in general. I attended a round table discussion last Thursday (28th of October) about the implications of the November 2nd election and the auditorium was so packed that many of the students and observers from the general public had to stand in the back or sit on the floor! The first four experts(professors from our school) concurred that, even were the presidency to change, America's military strategy, economics, etc., would more or less remain the same. They could only foresee a difference in style and image, not fundamental policies, with a Kerry presidency.

But then, in the midst of a rather mundane, calm discussion, a set of firecrackers suddenly exploded: the last speaker, whose language quickly revealed him to be a French intellectual (and proud of it!), launched into a polemic against Bush and his policies which very much amused the audience (including myself--it was much more entertaining than the dry economic and political analyses and an incredibly boring explanation of the Electoral college just prior) and drew thunderous applause and even cheers at its conclusion.

After taking a few questions from the audience, the moderator extemporaneously asked each member of the panel to answer one final question: "Who will win the election?" Two cast their lots for Kerry, and two for Bush, leaving the final and deciding vote to the French intellectual. With a smug smile, he paused, as if to reflect for a moment, and then said: "If politics and reason go hand in hand, then clearly Kerry will win".