It's been fun to watch the American press covering how foreigners react to Barack Obama. First we heard how nominee Obama was inspiring the black working class in Europe, along with fashionistas. Then president-elect Obama became the toast of the global intelligentsia, for his expected foreign policy changes. But now some little feuds are opening up across the Atlantic that will allow U.S. newspapers to give readers what they crave: A chance to laugh at sad, bickering Euros. Based on what the Times of London is saying, we foresee some front-page coverage!
International tensions erupted after Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi joked that Obama had an admirable suntan. Ha... ha?
Then the French first lady, Carla Bruni, went after Berlusconi. She used to be Italian and was frankly embarrassed:
When I hear Silvio Berlusconi ... joke about the fact that Obama is ’always tanned’, that makes me feel funny,” she told le Journal du Dimanche newspaper. “That will be put down to humour. But often, I am very happy that I have become French,” she said.
This makes Bruni's husband Nicolas Sarkozy uncomfortable, because he wants Berlusconi to go along with his European economic bailout plan.
But also Bruni is getting all mouthy, backing a French affirmative action measure and talking about how the French are horrible racists.
The petition, titled “Yes We Can” - Mr Obama’s campaign slogan - said that his “election illustrated by a cruel contrast the failings of the French Republic.” It added: “By neglecting its own diversity, France has driven to despair a whole swathe of its youth and has prevented it from being proud of its country.”
Embarrassing! OK Germans, now it's your turn to get all wrapped up in this mess. We promise to pay attention, for once, to whatever you say, since we want to revel in your inevitable regret, at least until our current president also says something awful and we remember the last eight years and just hide until the end of January.
Fox News has called Ohio (where Obama now leads, 57%-42%, with 8% of precincts reporting) for Obama, and CNN just teased a "big projection." Update: The news nets catch up with reality, after the jump.
With states that have been called so far added to the obvious gimmes, Obama is a scant six electoral votes from victory. A victory in any of the gray states on this map will give him the presidency.
At 8:45, the news for Obama is more than decent: 
Resident Democratic strategist 
The first polls will close in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. Raw numbers will trickle in slowly, and the networks, burned in 2000 by their too-early Florida call, will resist the urge to tell viewers what they know.
Polls close in Ohio, North Carolina and West Virginia. WV should be red; Obama holds 
Another 15 states plus DC close their polls. Of greatest interest will be Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. PA is a blue state by most lights. McCain has been targeting it, mainly to make up for his expected trouble in Virginia and North Carolina, but it's a Hail Mary pass: 
Still in doubt: only Iowa (likely Obama), Colorado (ditto), New Mexico and Nevada (true toss-ups). If Obama has underperformed these predictions (by losing New Hampshire, Ohio or Pennsylvania), he'll likely need all of them. CO and NM polls close at 9pm eastern; when Iowa and Nevada close at 10, all swing states will be closed. The networks probably won't call it until the polls have closed in states giving Obama the full 270 he needs. When will that come?
So the nets will probably hold off till 11. At that hour, every state but Alaska will be in, including the solid blue West Coast. Even if the last four swing states — Colorado, New Mexico, Iowa and Nevada — are still in doubt (and Alaska likely for McCain), Obama has hit his magic number in states the networks will probably call very quickly, leading McCain 285-224. Expect speeches, hoopla, and (shortly thereafter) transformative change to the body politic.