During his one-week tour, Obama's support rate fell at home while McCain's rose.

According to the latest Gallup poll in the United States, Obama's lead (47 percent) over McCain (41 percent) narrowed compared with the previous week, and McCain has gained another 4 percentage points.

German media said that Obama won the hearts of the Europeans but not the minds of Americans.

As Obama is only a Democratic presidential candidate rather than a president, the warm receptions for him by the three European leaders, who have forged good personal relations with Bush, were more reserved and out of diplomatic protocol, an observer said.

Mindful that the U.S. senator came to ask the allies to share more "burden" with his country in Afghanistan, Merkel said before Obama arrived in Berlin that she would make clear to him Germany's "limitations."

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2008)