Obama's trip full of opportunity and risk
His foray to the Middle East and Europe could improve his image on foreign policy -- or validate GOP-fostered doubts.
On his trip to the Middle East and Europe, Barack Obama hopes to reassure Americans that he has the foreign-policy expertise to keep the nation safe. Images beamed back from Jerusalem, Berlin and other cities next week will show him meeting heads of state with all the formal trappings of summitry.
If the all-but-certain Democratic nominee avoids mistakes, the intense news coverage -- three network anchors will accompany him -- could ease voter doubts.
Republican rival John McCain will be trying to reinforce those doubts as Obama makes his way from Jordan and Israel to Germany, France and Britain. Obama also plans to visit Iraq and Afghanistan soon but has kept the timing secret for security reasons.
Obama's itinerary will require deft navigation of foreign conflicts, a skill that at times has eluded the 46-year-old senator from Illinois. And the slightest stumble could solidify McCain's standing as the candidate voters see as more seasoned in world affairs.
Obama will meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan; the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, and prime minister, Ehud Olmert; and the Palestinian Authority's president, Mahmoud Abbas, and prime minister, Salam Fayyad. In Europe, Obama will confer with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
On Obama's agenda: nuclear threats, terrorism, Iraq, Afghanistan and climate change. "These are issues of vital importance to all concerned," said Susan E. Rice, Obama's senior national security advisor.
Obama will also move to build ties with those out of power. In Britain, he will see David Cameron, the opposition Conservative Party leader; in Israel, he'll see former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads the right-wing Likud Party.
Obama's advisors have played down the trip's potential effect on the campaign. They describe the trip as a substantive exchange of ideas with foreign leaders, not a string of events designed to fill a gap in Obama's public profile.
"We really don't view it that way," said David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager. "Over the course of the campaign, voters have increasingly become comfortable with the notion of Barack Obama as president and commander in chief."
But a recent Washington Post/ABC News survey found that 72% of voters saw McCain as knowledgeable enough about world affairs to be a good president, compared with 56% who had that view of Obama.
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