-Caveat Lector- http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/ELECTIONS_world0001106.html World Baffled by U.S. Elections and Underwhelmed by the Candidates George W. Bush, left, and Al Gore speak on the campaign trail. In many countries around the world, people feel they have a stake in who wins the election. (AP Photo) By Lucrezia Cuen L O N D O N, Nov. 6 � Baffled by the process, underwhelmed by the candidates, the world is watching the U.S. presidential election with keen interest � for many believe that as America goes, so goes the globe. As the last military and economic superpower, America�s policies and leadership are begrudgingly seen as setting the world agenda. �If you get a fathead running it, which we just might, in terms of foreign policy, it could actually have a bad effect on us and our interests in this world,� says Ann Leslie of London�s Daily Mail. They may not like it, but they acknowledge America�s influence. So much so that some people around the world argue they too should have a vote for the most powerful leader in the world. Playing on that frustration, a popular Moscow radio station, Echo Moskvy, is holding a mock U.S. election on their Web site. It even offers a tongue-in-cheek tip on how the U.S. could fight voter apathy. Each Russian voter gets a shot at a $1,000 sweepstakes. America: Land of Excesses Europeans are bemused by the U.S. election process. America is seen as the land of excesses. A campaign running two years at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars is seen as a product of that excess in countries where parliamentary elections can run as little as two weeks or two days at minimal cost. And after all the time and money, to have an election that may produce a record-low voter turnout, is seen as verification the process is pure madness. European comedy shows love taking shots at America. �This is the final week of the American election campaign,� says the host of Britain�s Have I Got News For You, �In the forthcoming election, 20 percent of Americans will actually vote, the other 80 percent can�t fit into the polling booth.� There is a near universal view the U.S. presidential race has become little more than a beauty contest. Columnist Mark Steyn in Britain�s Spectator recently ridiculed what he calls America�s obsession with physical appearance. He pokes fun at Gore�s over-the-top makeup job for the debates and beefed-up physique. �Apparently, he started working out last year because focus groups showed that men didn�t think he was as much of a �real man� as Bush. The Texas governor doesn�t pump iron, but he does run every day, usually in the afternoon after a light lunch and a couple of execution orders.� Unimpressed With Candidates The question often asked of Americans overseas is, �Are these the best candidates you can offer for the top job in the world?� �Neither candidate is very inspiring,� says BBC Radio 4�s Talking Politics producer Dinah Lammiman. �They are both rather dull and characterless and that�s a worry because Clinton has certainly been seen as charismatic if nothing else.� The French weekly L�Express seems to agree. �If only the Constitution would allow Bill [Clinton] to run for a third term, he would easily win the election,� it writes in an editorial. The issue outside the United States is U.S. foreign policy � and neither candidate is seen as impressive. �When I was with George W. I said to him, �We overseas think you are several sandwiches short of a picnic,�� says Leslie, �because you muddle up Slovenia, Slovakia, you call the Greeks �Grecians� and don�t even know the name of the latest nuclear power.� And Gore doesn�t rate much higher. �Foreign policy is about instinct,� says Peter Hitchens of London�s Express. �If you contrast Gore with Bush, Gore would be no better.� What the World Thinks The big fear with Bush is that he will be an isolationist � a leader who doesn�t understand foreign affairs, who will back away from global issues and leave the rest of the world to fend for itself. �There is a sense that the U.S. no longer sees it as important to include Britain or Europe in future plans and decisions,� says Lammiman. The German tabloid Bild Zeitung ran a headline last week: �U.S. elections: Which President is better for Germany?� Bush got high marks for having excellent advisers � particularly his father, who is seen as a supporter of German unity. But he was criticized for never having been to Germany. Al Gore scored high on issues of global protection of the environment and global finance. Germans also believe he would keep U.S. troops in the former Yugoslavia, which is seen as good for Europe. In many Arab countries, Bush would get the vote. �There is a tendency in the Arab world to think Gore is too much sided with Israel. Bush is a new face while Gore has so many bluntly pro-Israeli positions,� says one Lebanese journalist. Not surprisingly, Gore wins with Israelis. �The majority want Gore because he will continue with the Clinton attitude,� says Gil Tamary of Israeli TV. In France, Gore gets the vote. A poll in the daily newspaper La Croix found he would win by 59 percent. The Japanese favor Bush, believing he would focus more U.S. attention on Japan and less on China. Few Americans may perceive how inextricably linked the people of other nations feel toward the U.S. and its leadership. �Whether we like it or not what happens in the political atmosphere there, [the U.S.] will affect the political atmosphere here,� says Hitchens. Youth Tune In WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 � Young people all over the world are tuning in to the U.S. presidential elections, but were it not for the pivotal role the new administration is very likely to play in their region, they would be perfectly willing to tune-out. In Britain, James Pavey, a 24-year-old lawyer, said the election was �rarely front page news� and that many people his age �know little or nothing about the U.S. election.� �It is not U.K. headline news,� he said. �Headline news is more pressing and urgent: mass flooding, impending fuel crisis, [TV star] Davina McCall�s backless � and frontless � dresses.� A 25-year-old British investment banker confessed he would be taking a �back seat approach� to the U.S. elections. �I�d be interested to know the outcome, especially because it will have an effect on financial markets. But I have no interest in following the intricacies of it,� he said. In the Middle East though, the elections are fairly closely followed among people in their 20s. �In Israel, everything that happens in the U.S. is a big deal� said Roy Schwartz, 25. �Especially now,� he added. �The only thing that has been holding the peace process together has been Clinton. He has been the kindergarten teacher in the playground getting all of the kids to cooperate. Whoever comes in next will have a big effect on the peace process.� Gil Tamary, a correspondent for Israeli TV, said that for the most part, Israelis were very knowledgeable about the election. �The U.S. president has great influence in Israel, and we try to give our audiences as much information about each candidate as possible,� he said. Many Israelis, Tamary said, know Al Gore better and believe that if elected, Gore will continue with the �Clinton attitude.� Not that Bush in the presidential seat would dramatically change U.S. Mideast policy. �We�ve had Republican presidents before who have been pro-Israel,� said a 26-year-old Jewish woman. �The Jewish lobby is strong in both camps.� But with Bush�s proposed withdrawal of U.S. forces from some commitments abroad, she said, many Israelis believe a Bush White House would play less of a role in future peace initiatives. �The Israeli press is dominated by one topic right now: the conflict with the Palestinians,� Tamary said. �If the situation wasn�t so severe, Israelis would be watching the election more closely.� In Jordan, most youngsters look favorably upon Bush. �Many people in Jordan and the Arab world think that Gore is sided too much with Israel,� said one Jordanian journalist, who asked to remain anonymous. �Bush is a new face, while Gore has so many pro-Israeli positions, especially with his pick of Lieberman [his Jewish running mate].� But most Jordanians firmly believe that U.S. commitment to the peace process would continue regardless of who is in office. Undoubtedly, many people will tune in on Wednesday morning to find out who won the election. Until then, it seems for many non-Americans, fervent following of the candidates� every move is an American obsession alone. � ABCNEWS' Leslie Blum Cheers! ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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