Obama takes a trip: Part Two/Europe

Obama screwed up by traveling to Europe. This was an excessive reach by his campaign. The Berlin speech was far from specifics, not his worst and certainly not his best but had too much humility for a candidate trying to compete in the heartland/mid-west. His supporters, most anyway, aren't admitting that he came across too worldly and as if he was running for leader of the world, not America.
Obviously with a speech like his perception is; can go any which way. The truth is Obama is trying to spread the electoral map and compete in traditionally red states. Red states don't typically care what Europeans want or like. France was probably the worst of it all from an image standpoint; being seen side by side with the French President and greeted so enthusiastically. It isn’t likely there is a more disliked European country than France by this country’s heartland, mid west.
Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, how loved Obama is in Europe isn’t going to sway any votes. Those that like what he did were already supporting him and those who don’t already didn’t. This was a waste of time for his campaign, no matter how important they may have felt it was to establish connections with leaders over there. That, by the way, also leads to the thought that maybe he is acting like he has already won. The bounce in the polls had more to do with what came out of the Middle East part of the trip than the second half.
The notion that this year is different and the typical Republican attacks won’t work is non-sense. People thought that when it was Kerry vs. Bush and they were wrong. Americans are easily swayed and they do actually see the image of who they’re voting for as important. Not enough American voters vote strictly on the issues, on policy. That doesn’t imply that if they did they’d be voting for Obama or McCain, simply a statement of opinion that image is seen equally if not more important than actual policies in most elections.
Republicans know how to win presidential elections, to underestimate them because they’re trying to tack on the same image to Sen. Barack Obama that they did Sen. John Kerry and thinking it wont work this time is foolish.