A Kansas University professor gave Germans a window into last week’s historic U.S. presidential election.

“I would say the Germans are always keenly interested in American political development,” said Bill Keel, a professor and department chairman of Germanic languages.

He runs a KU summer institute in Holzkirchen, Germany. A reporter, Christina Jachert-Maier, for the newspaper Tegernseer Zeitung, interviewed Keel the morning after Barack Obama’s victory.

It was published last week in the newspaper that serves a region south of Munich. Keel knows many people in that area, and he has also given lectures there on the electoral college.

In the interview he answered questions about why Kansas supported McCain and how some KU students celebrated in Lawrence after the election.

Obama had gained popularity in Germany after his July speech in Berlin.

“He certainly made a big hit in Berlin with his speech, and they were very impressed,” Keel said.

Jachert-Maier, who has been a host mother to KU students before, also asked Keel, a loyal Republican, whether the election disappointed him. Keel said yes. But he was not surprised he won because of Obama’s charisma on the campaign trail, and now he’s watching to see what happens when Obama takes office.

“Schau ma moi,” he responded in the German newspaper interview. Which means: Let’s wait and see.