World welcomes shift in Washington political landscape

US midterm election results that heralded a massive power shift in the American political landscape, capped by the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, were widely greeted with jubilation around the world, with many expressing variations on the same sentiment: it’s about time.

From Paris to Pakistan, politicians, analysts and ordinary citizens said they hoped the Democratic takeover of at least one house of Congress would force US President George Bush to adopt a more conciliatory approach to the globe’s crises, and teach a president many see as a “cowboy” a lesson in humility.