I'm as interested in what folks around the world think of our presidential candidates as I am in how they fare throughout the primaries. It's as important to me to know how our candidates' platforms are perceived in London, Sydney and Tokyo as it is how they're received in a civic center in Des Moines.

My global perspective is a result of many things: as an Army brat, I lived in Okinawa and France in the 50s and 60s; my wife and I lived and worked in The Netherlands for two years in the late 90s; and, for 17 years, I worked for a very global company — Nike. But it took two months in a cabin here in Jackson Hole in late 2000 for it all to sink in.

I didn't have access to mainstream media coverage of the Bush/Gore cliffhanger — no TV or daily newspaper. Instead, I took my news from the World Wide Web, and I took full advantage of the access to worldwide coverage. I found the BBC to be as informed and informative of what was going on as the New York Times.

So as this election year unfolds, I'm going to be looking for foreign points of view about our American political machinations. Today's perspective is offered by a Belgian journalist, Willy De Backer, who says in his blog:

The victory of Barack Obama in last week’s Iowa elections came as a big surprise for the EU elites who had already put all their money on a new Clinton Presidency. If Obama continues his winning streak on Tuesday on New Hampshire, European policymakers and lobbyists will have to learn more about the positions of the Illinois Senator.

Interesting, isn't it, that Obama's success in Iowa was a bit of a surprise to European policymakers and lobbyists? Even more interesting is the fact that De Backer focused on Obama's position on climate and energy issues as the topics EU elites should look at.

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