1) What little I know of Ratzinger I'm inclined to like. He's orthodox. He's not a loon. He seems to be possessed of internal discipline, as well as the ability to demand discipline from others. This means he is less well liked in America, particularly among the more liberal of his priests and religious.
2) I'm a bit surprised that the cardinals picked a guy with an enforcer's reputation; but then, his age seems to indicate that maybe what they want is a steady hand right now -- just not for too, too long.
3) I'm also surprised that they picked a German. I guess I shouldn't be, at least for this German, since he's been at HQ for a long time (and speaks several languages). But I thought that Germany and the US, whose Catholics provide the most funding for the papacy, would therefore be avoided as sources of leadership, so as not to be seen as too beholden to these powerful communities. (I actually woke up this morning from a dream which convinced me that I had heard that Cardinal Shoenborn of Austria had been elected. Oh, well. Prosit! anyway.)
4) The papal name doesn't surprise me. Benedicts are conservative, orderly, a bit curmudgeonly and prone to be suspicious of new-fangledness, I think. Sounds like Ratzinger. (Edit: Benedict XV was a peace-maker who tried to moderate the curmudgeonliness of Pius X. Mea culpa, as they say.)
I hope that he is of a mind to work with his non-Catholic brothers and sisters. Who knows, maybe his steadiness will incline our leaders to keep station on him and we'll all grow closer to God and each other. At least one can hope.