Obama begins international trip
McCain camp slams Obama's foreign relations experience
10:43 a.m. Friday, July 18, 2008
Looking to boost his foreign policy and national security credentials, Barack Obama has embarked on what his campaign is calling a "fact-finding tour" to Europe and the Middle East.
For security reasons, it's unclear if this trip will include stops in Afghanistan or Iraq, where the Democratic presidential candidate has been highly critical of the U.S.-led war effort.
"This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st Century," he said in a July 15 campaign speech.
The Illinois senator has never been to Afghanistan, and his last visit to Iraq, his only one, was over two years ago.
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By contrast, rival John McCain has visited Iraq eight times.
"It's long, long overdue, if you want to lead this nation and secure our national security," McCain said.
McCain campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker accuses Obama making the trip, solely, for the cameras.
"One giant photo opportunity. It is not designed to inform his world view," Hazelbaker said.
Even many Democrats consider the trip a high-risk for the first term-senator, who will also be trying to convince world leaders he has was it takes.
"A lot of global diplomatic business is still very personal," said Walter Russel Mead with the Council on Foreign Relations "'Can I trust this guy?,' 'what is important to this guy,' those are all the kinds of things other world leaders like to know of somebody who may be joining the club."
The stops we do know Obama will make this trip are Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and England.
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