Much to Barack Obama's credit, he is not acting presidential on this European tour. He said it in Berlin, and he repeated it Friday in Paris: "I'm not here as a presidential candidate, I'm here as an American senator."
He met for an hour with French president Nicholas Sarkozy at the Elysées Palace, and it was understood there would be no American flags on display -- only a few French and European Union flags. A call to the American embassy informed us that they had nothing to do with the visit ... although the American embassy sits right next door to the Elysées.
To a packed roomful of international journalists and cameramen, waiting expectantly under a massive crystal chandelier, this was a major Media Event. Morning newspapers already had headlines heralding the visit, and one weekly magazine had a picture of Obama and Martin Luther King on the cover, with the caption: "From King to Obama - A Long Journey".
The French have had many love affairs with black Americans: Josephine Baker, dancing naked with just a skirt of bananas at the Lido; James Baldwin, who was awarded the Legion d'Honneur; Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis and other American jazzmen who brought "le jazz" to France (where it is still a popular genre).
But while Obama is admired for his achievements as "un homme de couleur", there is another side to the story: the French are fed up with Bush. This is not to say that any Democratic candidate would win their favor, but Obama is young, attractive, articulate and charming -- the very qualities that attracted them to John F. Kennedy (who, because of his religion, also ran as an "outsider").
As for Sarkozy, who was probably flattered to be invited to a Bush barbecue last summer, he must feel much more comfortable with someone like Obama. They are of the same generation, they had immigrant fathers, and they come from rather modest beginnings. When they appeared together at the news conference Friday, both men seemed pleased.
"We are friends of America -- independent, but friends", said Sarkozy, repeating a line he has used before. "We're watching what's happening with a lot of interest, because America is a great democracy. Barack Obama's adventure speaks to the heart of Frenchmen and Europeans."
Obama praised "the enthusiasm and energy" of France, and noted that Sarkozy has tried to mend relations between their two countries. ("We're calling them French fries again!", he quipped.) And he stressed that his speech in Berlin was not just for Germany but for all of Europe.
"Europeans have tended to forget how America helped rebuild Europe and ensure its security. And Americans tend to think Europe doesn't want to get its hands dirty anymore. President Sarkozy has shattered some of these stereotypes."
When asked his opinion of the Bush administration, Obama showed shrewd restraint. "You don't criticize the president when you're overseas. We have only one president at a time."
Obama noted that when Sarkozy visited Washington in 2006, before being elected president, he met only two senators: himself and John McCain! Sarkozy laughed at the irony of it, and wished Obama "bonne chance" (good luck). "But if it's someone else," he said, "France will still be a friend of America. It's up to Americans to decide."
And so, probably without a coupe de Champagne or a smidgen of foie gras, Obama took off to London, his last stop on this trip. But he said, "I look forward to coming back and spending more time here. I don't know anyone who doesn't want to spend more time in Paris!"
Next time ... as president?