Obama Wins US Election
Hang on a minute America, it's all going a bit too fast for us Europeans. Time was when you had a Presidential election, that we could all relax, say jolly well done and have a period of quiet celebration after the result was announced. Well, you got the first bit spot on, at least from our perspective.
Mitt Romney, leading a right wing, suspiciously white party run with the interests of multi millionaires at heart? That's a bit too much like our Government over here, thank you very much. So, that nice Mr. Obama suited us fine. We like him, not that it's any of our business I suppose. So we settled down for, if not a hundred days of quiet satisfaction from you lot, at least a week or two before you sorted out your debt to the Chinese. And what did we get? Within hours of Mr Obama's victory speech, we're being told that the US is teetering over the fiscal cliff with your house divided. And even as we breathe a sigh of relief when Mr Obama says your wars are almost over, everyone starts getting over excited about maybe, or maybe not, getting involved in the Syrian conflict.
Oh and there's the unlovely issue of Iran. And Israel. The thought of another conflict and more mayhem will be very difficult for European Governments to sell to their electorates at a time when neither the money, nor the willingness, is there. And that also includes a covert war, by the way. "The best is yet to come" said your President. That's all we want over here, plus, if I am entirely honest, a bit of peace and quiet. A few sunlit uplands wouldn't hurt either. We would be very disappointed if Mr Obama can't calm all this down and get the Republicans, the Syrians and yes, even the Iranians around the table.
If he could use some of that famous rhetoric of his to try to address the problems across America and around the world. I think most European Governments sighed with relief when President Obama won his second term. Now he has a second chance to keep those promises he made the first time round. This is Simon Bates for CBS News in London.