"Excitement About Obama Spreads Around the World"

That's the latest objective news headline from the Associated Press:

Glad to see they're keeping their perspective about the election.

We wouldn't want to see our media. Pushing. Voters. With. All. Their. Might. In. One. Particular. Direction!

Here's the flavor of the puff piece:

Indonesians were rooting for the man they consider to be a hometown hero. Obama lived in the predominantly Muslim nation from age 6 to 10 with his mother and Indonesian stepfather and was fondly remembered by former teachers and classmates.

"He was an average student, but very active," said Widianto Hendro Cahyono, 48, who was in the same third-grade class as Obama at SDN Menteng elementary school in Jakarta. "He would play ball during recess until he was dripping with sweat.

"I never imagined he would become a great man."

In Mexico City, hairdresser Susan Mendoza's eyes lit up when she learned Obama had clinched the nomination.

Update: Abe Greenwald notes some rather glaring defects in the AP's worldwide public opinion sampling methodology.   And Little Green Footballs notes another AP article, also from today, in which Obama is compared to a figure from Greek mythology:

Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton solidly in the Iowa caucuses in January, but five days later she beat him, painfully and unexpectedly, in New Hampshire. That loss showed him that toppling the royal family of Democratic politics would not come easily.

"I think this was meant to be," Obama said privately the next day, recalls adviser David Axelrod. "I think we were flying too close to the sun, like Icarus. When you're fighting for change, it's not supposed to be easy."

In Greek mythology, Icarus' father gives him wax wings that empower him to fly, but warns of the danger in soaring too high. Obama got similar warnings. When he arrived in Washington, Senate dean Robert Byrd cautioned him not to be in too much of a rush to leave for the White House.

But like Icarus, Obama wouldn't heed his elder's advice. Icarus would crash into the sea. Obama would learn from his own crash in New Hampshire and make history.

Hey, don't give up on that "crashing into the sea" thing too early, AP.  The sun is still hot and Obama's "wings" are still pure wax.