Stephen Bates, The Guardian: “Every word Europeans (and many Americans) hear about Sarah Palin chills their blood – none more so than her religious beliefs, or at least those of her pastors at the Wasilla Assembly of God church, or the Juneau Christian Centre.”
N. T. “Tom” Wright, Bishop of Durham: “I am concerned, not about this candidate’s religious views (that particular political decisions might be in accordance with God’s will) but about her political judgment. (…) Too bad that though the decision will hugely affect the rest of the world, only the elite (i.e. U.S. citizens) vote.”
Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian: “Fight too hard, and the Republican machine, echoed by the ditto-heads in the conservative commentariat on talk radio and cable TV, will brand Democrats sexist, elitist snobs, patronising a small-town woman. Do nothing, and Palin’s rise will continue unchecked, her novelty making even Obama look stale, her star power energising and motivating the Republican base. So somehow Palin slips out of reach, no revelation – no matter how jaw-dropping or career-ending were it applied to a normal candidate – doing sufficient damage to slow her apparent march to power, dragging the charisma-deprived McCain behind her. (…) Of course I know that even to mention Obama’s support around the world is to hurt him. Incredibly, that large Berlin crowd damaged Obama at home, branding him the “candidate of Europe” and making him seem less of a patriotic American. But what does that say about today’s America, that the world’s esteem is now unwanted? If Americans reject Obama, they will be sending the clearest possible message to the rest of us – and, make no mistake, we shall hear it.”
BBC: “People outside the US would prefer Barack Obama to become US president ahead of John McCain, a BBC World Service poll suggests. Democrat Mr Obama was favoured by a four-to-one margin across the 22,500 people polled in 22 countries.”