Europe stirred by end of Bush era

BERLIN (Reuters) - A field of candidates who break the mould, two tight early battles and a yearning for a new face in the White House have electrified Europeans as the U.S. election gathers pace.

Ten full months before the United States picks a successor to President George W. Bush, many Europeans have acquired a high level of expertise about the race and a solid understanding of the nuances in U.S. states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.

In Berlin, Paris, Rome and other parts of "Old Europe", still annoyed by that unflattering tag from ex-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, people are eager to discuss the merits of Hillary Clinton's foreign policy or Barack Obama's charisma.

In cafes or pubs it seems there is often someone talking about Baptist minister Mike Huckabee and his bass guitar, Mormon Mitt Romney and his opposition to gay rights, John McCain's age and his views on Iraq, or Rudy Giuliani and his untimely slide.

"It's not just a race with a bunch of white men with white hair this time," said Norman Roy, 26, a Berlin office worker. "With a woman and a black, the election is something completely different this time around. There's a real buzz to it."

Political scientists, columnists and ordinary Europeans said the appetite abroad for a new U.S. president is especially high after the seven years of discord with the Bush Administration over issues such as Iraq, Iran and global warming.

"Bush polarized Europe and a lot of people associate this election with the hope that a horrible period of U.S.-European relations will finally end," said Christian Hacke, a political science professor and U.S. expert at the University of Bonn.

"There's a craving among Europeans for a new start."

INTENSE INTEREST IN RACE

While the November elections themselves traditionally capture the attention of Europe, the level of interest in the primaries -- fuelled by newspapers and TV coverage -- is astonishing considering that they have no say in the outcome.

"You often hear Europeans complain 'shouldn't we have a voice in the election because it has such a big impact on our lives'?," said Gary Smith, director of the American Academy.

"That's all the more the case now," the head of the Berlin think tank said. "A lot of Europeans have been looking forward to this election -- and a new president -- for four years."

That sentiment is heard across Europe these days.

"I hope this election marks the end of Bush policies and a return to more reasonable foreign policies," said Sotiris Karageorgiou, 42, a salesman in Athens. "It will be better for the whole world."

Media in Greece and across Europe have gone into depth describing Obama's victory over Clinton in Iowa and TV news programs have run frequent reports from both campaigns.

"Polls show a landslide victory for Obama, Clinton slumps," wrote Greece's To Ethnos newspaper ahead of New Hampshire.

A poll published in Bild am Sonntag newspaper found that 44 percent of Germans would vote for Clinton.

Italian media have played up Obama's chances, comparing him to young John F. Kennedy in the 1960 campaign. The front page headline on La Repubblica: "The Advance of the Great Seducer".

A story on Clinton crying took up half a page in La Stampa. All-news network Sky Italia repeatedly ran a clip of her tears.

In Britain, The Daily Mail devoted nearly a full page to the race, focusing on Clinton's demise. The Sun gave half a page to Obama, including a picture of him with his Kenyan father. The Times published a two-page profile of Obama, wondering if he is the new Ronald Reagan, JFK or Jimmy Carter.

Much of the British coverage -- as well as snippets of conversations overheard in public transport, in pubs and taxis -- seems to reflect amazement that the United States would even consider electing a black president.

"I cannot remember quite so much detail interest being shown in Britain before in the primary system," wrote Janet Daley in the Daily Telegraph.

In Hungary, the daily Magyar Hirlap wrote: "Obama-mania captivates the U.S." while in Russia TV news broadcasts have been filled with reports on the New Hampshire primary.

In Ireland, where presidents (Bill) Clinton, Reagan and Kennedy were all feted for their Irish roots, intense media interest has been heightened by Obama's own blood ties through his maternal great-great-great grandfather who emigrated to the United States in 1850.

Canon Stephen Neill, who trawled through parish records in Moneygall to establish Obama's Irish ancestors hailed from the tiny village in County Offaly, said some members of his parish were already mounting a campaign for the presidential hopeful.

"There's something quite inspiring about Obama," he said.

(Additional reporting by Karolos Grohmann, Philip Pullella, Peter Apps, Anna Willard, Gergely Szakacs, Amie Ferris-Rotman and Paul Hoskins; Editing by Richard Balmforth)