Bush's Legacy Crushes Mr. McCain Around the World

The enormous worldwide popularity of the Democratic candidate for the White House, Barack Obama, isn’t new. On the other hand, the degree of scorn that his Republican counterpart, John McCain, arouses is one in itself. In an opinion poll conducted in eight countries (Belgium, Canada, France, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, Poland and Switzerland), which Le Monde publishes in partnership with seven other newspapers, on the perception of the United States and the issue of the American presidential election, the Republican candidate would be wiped out systematically if the people polled voted tomorrow.

In none of the countries polled did John McCain pull in more than 26% support. France appears to be the county where the Republican candidate draws the strongest public rejection. According to a study conducted in the Hexagon by TNS Sofres/Logica from October 8th-9th, the Arizona Senator gained only 5% of support regardless of class or political sensibilities, his worst results ever. Switzerland and Belgium come in next at 7% and 8%. In Mexico and Canada, the two countries bordering the United States, Mr. McCain levels off at 13%-14%. Finally, the English, the most loyal allies of the Republican administration, sound the death knell with a humiliating 15%.

Outside of Poland and Mexico, a majority of public opinion thought that Mr. McCain would either be a “bad” or “very bad” president. On the same question, however, the Democratic candidate once again surpasses his rival. A resounding majority of those polls in every country think that the Illinois senator would be a “good” or “very good” president.

This rejection of McCain originates from the image of warmonger that he’s cultivated for months, if not years. Continuation of the Iraq war, military escalation in Afghanistan, the eventual bombing of Iran: the bellicose ramblings of the Republican candidate do not come even close to world public opinion. The plans and type of leadership that he wants to exercise are widely viewed as be risky.

The polls’ stance on the presence of American troops in Iraq is without question. Between 73% and 88% of people surveyed hope to see the next American president pull armed forces out of the region. A majority demand an immediate departure, as soon as next year.

More interesting still, the Republican candidate has totally failed to distance his campaign from the policies led by George Bush for eight years. All of the outgoing president’s work is being criticized through John McCain. A very large majority of people surveyed-with the exception of Poland-have had a bad opinion of the United States since Mr. Bush came to power back in 2001: 80% of Swiss; 77% of French and 67% of Britons. In those figures we practically see the scores earned by Barack Obama against John McCain every country.

But if this rejection of the Bush years is unanimous, it doesn’t seem to put back in question of the warmth other countries have for America, which has been pointed out in a similar study back in 2004.

Moreover, the relations that are maintained with the United States seem, in a very realistic way, like those of a cordial understanding mixed with a necessary neutrality. Only 28% of Mexicans mention any tension between their country and the big neighbor in the north. Those numbers come at 25% in France.

Who is the world superpower today, then? That question doesn’t come up in polls, but has been asked by Sofres in France and by the Gazeta Wyborcza, a daily in Poland. In the Polish survey, the United States came out on top, with 46% of the votes, followed by China at 32%, an order that reverses itself in France, where 49% of the people polled thought that China had now become that largest power, far ahead of the United States, who only pulled in 34%.

But this difference becomes blurred when it makes a prediction about the next twenty years. The Poles and French surveyed think that China will definitely replace the United States as the superpower of the future. A piece of very bad news for the White House’s next inhabitant.