Foreign leaders thrill to Obama

French President Nicolas Sarkozy deemed Barack Obama “my pal,” and boasted to a reporter that he always believed the Illinois senator would beat Hillary Rodham Clinton. PARIS — With barely disguised ardor, Barack Obama’s potential colleagues on the international stage embraced him this week with a gusto that seemed out of place in the staid world of diplomacy. French President Nicolas Sarkozy deemed Obama “my pal,” and boasted to a reporter that he always believed the Illinois senator would beat Hillary Rodham Clinton. In Jordan, meanwhile, King Abdullah II showed off his fast car to Obama, personally speeding him to the airport from behind the wheel of a Mercedes. And in Israel, President Shimon Peres proclaimed “high regard” for Obama and his belief that “the future belongs to the young,” a point that would seem to exclude... [read full story]