World hopes for a 'less arrogant America'

By William J. Kole and Matt Moore
ASSOCIATED PRESS

6:11 a.m. November 4, 2008

BERLIN – The world was riveted by the election drama unfolding Tuesday in the United States, inspired by the hope embodied by Barack Obama or simply relieved that – whoever wins – the administration that spawned Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay was coming to an end.
From Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to the small town of Obama, Japan, the globe geared up to celebrate a fresh start for America after eight wearisome years of George W. Bush.

Germany, where more than 200,000 flocked to see Obama this summer as he moved to burnish his foreign policy credentials during a trip to the Middle East and Europe, the election dominated television ticker crawls, newspaper headlines and Web sites.
Hundreds of thousands prepared to party through the night to watch the outcome of an election having an impact far beyond America's shores. Among the more irreverent festivities planned in Paris: a “Goodbye Georgeâ€