Presidential Race watched round the world: Obama and Clinton

The Chicago Tribune reports:

India has a long history of being led by political dynasties, and like the United States still battles sexism and racism. So for many Indians, the latest U.S. presidential campaign is something of a wonder.

An African-American stands a good chance of winning his party's nomination. A woman is his primary rival. And, most impressive of all, she appears to be increasingly handicapped—rather than helped —by the fact that her husband was once president.

Sen. Hillary Clinton "has played the dynastic card a lot, and it's worked against her," marveled Seema Mustafa, a political editor with India's Asian Age newspaper. "That would never happen in India, where it always works for you."

This year's U.S. campaign, with its groundbreaking crop of candidates and its focus on international concerns like Iraq, is reshaping the world's view of the United States, political analysts say. In some places, officials see the candidacies of Clinton, fellow Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain as a chance to heal rifts with the U.S. over such issues as the war on terror and global warming.

Many people abroad are surprised to find the United States is perhaps not as racist as they had imagined. Others, impressed at the lively campaign, are regaining faith in American democracy.

An article well worth your time.