Barack Obama’s proclamation last July to being a “citizen of the world” was affirmed Monday as a new poll — taken before the August conventions — showed that in 16 out of 17 countries surveyed he was the overwhelming choice to be the next president of the United States.
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Reader’s Digest Washington Bureau Chief Carl Cannon cited various reasons for the disparity, noting that many of the Republican Party’s core positions are irrelevant to individuals overseas.
“The Republican Party is not organized around the notion of running for election anywhere but the United States,” Cannon told FOXNews.com. “A number of Republican issues, including defending the Second Amendment or opposition to abortion, simply are not salient questions in Europe.”
Cannon cited President Bush’s low approval ratings as another disadvantage to McCain’s international reputation.
“John McCain comes from the same party as Bush, and is considered just as hawkish on Iraq,” he said.