Obama devotees in France hoping for an 'Obama17' presidential campaign The campaign is wishful thinking, since the president needs to be French.

 -- Some Barack Obama devotees in France aren't happy with the homegrown contenders vying for the country's presidency, so they're hoping that the former U.S. president will step in and run for office this spring.

"Obama17" posters have been spotted plastered across Paris, urging citizens to visit a website and sign a petition to persuade Obama to enter the race. The goal is to get 1 million people to sign the petition.

Why Obama? "Because he has the best resume in the world for the job," reads the website, which is in no way connected to Obama.

While this all sounds good, there is one problem. The French president needs to be, well, French. And Obama is not.

The website also says Obama could be an antidote to the popularity of right-wing parties in the country.

"At a time when France is about to vote massively for the extreme right, we can still give a lesson of democracy to the planet by electing a French president, a foreigner," reads the website in French.

A spokesperson for the group told ABC News Thursday morning, "We started dreaming about this idea two months before the end of Obama's presidency. We dreamed about this possibility to vote for someone we really admire, someone who could lead us to project ourselves in a bright future. Then we thought, whether it's possible or not, whether or not he is French, we have to do this for real, to give French people hope ... Vive la Republique. Vive Obama. Vive la France and the USA."