The Leftist American elites fawn on the European elites and the EU elites view the nation through the prisms of their contafcts with our leftist elites and their media. I imagine that there was actually some genuine shock in the EU over this election. Many Euros that I know - at least those that have spent no time in America - expected Kerry to win in a Landslide. I have found them to be quite irrational about this.
Being "elites" is totaly a fidgement of their imagination... they are already dhimmies in their own countries, and this status is far from elitarian, isn't it?