Update: first stories out of AfghanistanReporters say Obama has to be sure not too get too much love. That's silly. Obama should just be Obama. The people here who can't see beyond Obama's charisma will never vote for him. One thing he can't do is undermine Bush because Bush, unfortunately, is the president we elected.
CNN: Obama plans to visit Iraq, although details of the trip have have not been made public for security reasons.CBS NewsGuardian
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, and Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, are traveling with Obama.
The Democratic presidential hopeful's spoke briefly to a pool reporter about his trip just before leaving Washington.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is," Obama said. "I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense, both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, their biggest concerns are. And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they've been doing."
Asked if he would have tough talk for the leaders of Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama said he was "more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking."
"I think it is very important to recognize that I'm going over there as a U.S. senator. We have one president at a time, so it's the president's job to deliver those messages," Obama said.
