THE Barack Obama presidential road show is preparing to roll into Europe this week with the continent's political leaders lining up to bask in the glow of the charismatic Democratic candidate.
In prospect is a series of high profile photocalls in which Obama looks every inch the world statesman alongside Europe's political elite.
"Obama has charisma and glamour in spades and they don't so they will be very keen to be photographed with h
im," said Michael Cox, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics. "We are experiencing Obamamania in Europe."
Obama's itinerary is still officially a secret but he is expected to include a visit to Berlin where he will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Britain to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Paris to talk to President Nicolas Sarkozy. He is also thought to be planning stops in Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama's European trip will help counter criticism that he lacks foreign policy credentials. In a recent CNN poll, 54% of Americans said McCain would better handle foreign policy, 11 points ahead of Obama.
But the prospect which has European politicians excited is the chance to meet the man himself. "People in Europe want to touch the hem of the king and get cured of scrofula," said Sir Menzies Campbell, former leader of the Liberal Democrats and member of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
Obamamania is already in an advanced stage in the US where supporters include Scarlett Johansson, Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Oprah Winfrey and Alicia Keys who was pictured in an Obama T-shirt at a charity event in London last week.
But the European tour is about more than just image. Obama wants to send the message that his election would heal the rift between the US and Europe over the Iraq War.
In a statement, Obama said: "France, Germany and the United Kingdom are key anchors of the transatlantic alliance. And I look forward to discussing how we can strengthen our partnership in the years to come."
Not that it will be plain sailing. Obama has already come in for criticism in Germany for hijacking a national symbol after it was revealed that he plans to make a major foreign policy speech at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. He would be following in the footsteps of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. John F Kennedy gave his own famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech just miles from the German symbol of unification.
"If he can get that visual of 100,000 Germans cheering him on at the Brandenburg Gate it will recall the great days of America when it had popular foreign policies and a president beloved by people around the world," said John Hulsman of the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin.
But German domestic politics may scupper the coup de theatre. "Merkel is reluctant to give a national symbol away for a campaign speech," said Christoph von Marschall, Washington bureau chief for Germany's Der Tagesspiegel newspaper and author of Barack Obama, The Black Kennedy.
Although his forthcoming trip has the makings of a political love-in, if Obama gets elected, uncomfortable challenges could follow. "As part of his multilateralist approach he will also demand more from Europe. I'm not sure if Europe has fathomed this yet," said Hulsman.
His demands are likely to include greater military support from Europe in Iraq and Afghanistan. But European countries have their shopping lists too. Obama is likely to win Merkel's backing if he addresses climate change. Although Poland is believed to be upset that it doesn't figure on Obama's schedule, its support is thought to be in the bag. Italy's Silvio Berlusconi has made a great show of being Obama's friend, as has Sarkozy.
Ironically, Britain, traditionally America's closest ally, may present Obama with his greatest challenge. Hulsman said: "Dealing with Gordon Brown may be harder than Obama thinks. He needs to reengage with Britain following the political fallout after Iraq."
Europe's political leaders will also be wary of seeming to endorse him during a sensitive time in the election campaign. If he loses, they might then face being frozen out by a President McCain.
Speculation about his forthcoming trip to Europe helped deflect attention in a tricky week for Obama in which black former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson was caught on a microphone saying he'd like to "cut Obama's nuts out" for talking down to black people.
Obama was also criticised for exploiting his daughters. Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, took centre stage in an interview broadcast on prime-time television. He later said he regretted the decision after being accused of hypocrisy having previously called for the media to respect the girls' privacy.
