Obama's Schedule in Indonesia and Australia

Update March 18: Obama postpones trip until June to get healthcare done.

This is from Ben Rhodes' conference call regarding Obama's upcoming trip to Australia and Indonesia. Obama leaves on Sunday, March 21, after signing healthcare legislation (she hopes). Here is a sketch of his schedule:

he first stop on the trip for the President is in Guam. We’ll be in Guam Monday, March 22. And that evening, Guam time, the President will be hosting a public event where he’ll be able to speak to both our -- the community in Guam and of course some of the military personnel that the United States has in Guam. Later in the call Dennis can field questions about this portion of the trip.

The next day, on Tuesday, the 23rd, we’ll be making our way to Indonesia. The President will be greeted with an arrival ceremony and there will be several events associated with that arrival ceremony, which we’ll be giving you more specifics on as we get closer to the day. But that first day he’ll have a bilateral meeting with the President of Indonesia. And following that bilateral meeting they’ll host a joint press conference. Then that night the President will be hosted at a state dinner by the Indonesians, which he very much looks forward to.

The following day, Wednesday, the 24th, the President will be giving a speech. This speech, of course, will be an opportunity for him to discuss the comprehensive partnership that we’re developing with Indonesia and with the Indonesian people. Of course this is a country that the President has personal experience in, having lived there for four years as a child; having a sister who’s half Indonesian; and his mother of course worked extensively in Indonesia for 20 years. So he’ll be able to speak to his connections to the country.

And he’ll also be able to discuss the efforts that the United States cooperates with Indonesia on as it relates to democracy and as it relates to Indonesia’s position as a country with the world’s largest Muslim-majority population, as well as a country with a strong history of pluralism. And in some respects it will be of course his first trip to a Muslim-majority country since he was in Egypt and delivered his speech in Cairo, so he’ll be able to speak to some of the progress that’s been made and that needs to be made on the issue that he spoke to in Cairo, as well.

The rest of that day -- we look forward to making some additional cultural stops as well as the President will be meeting with some business leaders in the region to highlight again America’s growing economic ties with Indonesia. We believe that this can be an economic relationship that can serve our mutual interests and will be part of, of course, the President’s efforts to deepen our economic relationship across the region.

He’ll also be meeting with Indonesian parliamentary leaders as a part of his effort to, again, reach out and speak to a broad cross-section of Indonesia’s government and society.

Then we’ll be moving on to Bali. And on Thursday, March 25th, the President will host a civil society event in Bali. The reason that we’re choosing Bali to highlight this particular issue is that Bali is host to the Bali Democracy Forum, which is a signature initiative of the President of Indonesia’s and a very positive effort, again, to advance democracy and civil society in the region and around the world.

So President Obama will have an opportunity in Bali to meet with a group of civil society leaders in order to highlight the important role of civil society in the emergence of Indonesia’s democracy, and also how that might -- that effort might support civil society across the region. And to that end, we’ll be inviting civil society groups from other parts of Southeast Asia as well to discuss issues related to political participation, freedom of information, and human rights, broadly speaking.

After the President is in Bali, we will move on to Canberra. And here I’d just stop and say that, of course, Australia is increasingly -- is a longstanding ally of the United States, an increasingly important ally in both the region and the world. In many ways it’s a model alliance for the United States. We have very robust cooperation with the Australians on security issues, economic issues, environmental issues. They’re obviously a close partner of us in Afghanistan, where they’ve been steadfast in their support there. We run a very positive trade relationship with Australia that supports American jobs and supports economic prosperity for both Australians and Americans. And of course, we’ve cooperated closely on clean energy issues and efforts to combat climate change, Australia also being a partner through the G20. And the President will be underscoring this alliance throughout his time in Australia.

He’ll begin that night with a dinner with Prime Minister Rudd, who’s been a particularly close partner of the President’s both bilaterally on a personal basis, and also in international forums. So the President is looking forward to the opportunity to share this time with Prime Minister Rudd in Canberra.

The next day, on Friday the 26th, we will have a very robust program of events. The President will meet with the Governor General in the morning. Then he will have a series of -- he’ll have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Rudd, building on the work, the discussions they’ll have at dinner. Following that bilateral meeting, we anticipate a joint press conference. Read the transcript

Obama in Singapore for Summit of Asia Pacific Leaders

Here's a summary of Obama's two-day plan for Singapore:

NOV 14-15 - SINGAPORE

Obama travels to Singapore the evening of November 14.

On November 15, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and then go to the leaders meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

At about 2 p.m. local time the same day, Obama will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and then hold what the White House says is the first meeting between a U.S. president and all 10 leaders of the 10 Southeast Asian countries that make up ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Finally on November 15, Obama will hold a bilateral meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Reuters.

Read the rest of his schedule here. Next stop China and then S. Korea

Asian Pacific nations are concerned about free trade. Also in tow in Singapore:

AF1 arrived in Singapore at 6:50 p.m. local time. Stepping off the plane with POTUS were Pete Rouse, Valerie Jarrett, Jon Favreau, David Axelrod, Ben Rhodes and Robert Gibbs.
Politico (Note that Jon Favreau is a speechwriter, not the actor.)

Obama is also expected to meet Burma's (Myanmar) prime minister:

The United States president has arrived in Singapore to join a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.

Barack Obama's Air Force One arrived at Singapore's Paya Lebar military airbase late on Saturday after the president visited Japan, part of his nine-day Asian tour that will also take him to China and South Korea.

Obama was expected to catch the end of a dinner with 20 other leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum, before taking part in the summit on Sunday.

The president has called for a new strategy to rebalance global growth, but Asian leaders at the summit are more concerned with US trade protectionism.

Obama is likely to repeat his call to redress economic imbalances blamed for causing the global financial crisis.
...
On the sidelines of the Apec summit, Obama plans to meet leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Thein Sein, Myanmar's prime minister, on Sunday.

The meeting will mark the first time in 43 years that a US president holds collective talks with a Myanmar leader.

US president set to hold talks with Thein Sein, Myanmar's prime minister, at Apec [EPA]
The Obama administration is embarking on a new policy towards Burma which it describes as engagement while keeping sanctions in place.Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera has an interesting special report called "China Buys the World."

Obama Travels to China in November Then Meets Dalai Lama

Obama is headed to China next month. Obama needs China's help with Iran and North Korea and is looking past China's human rights issues:

The U.S. decision to postpone the meeting appears to be part of a strategy to improve ties with China that also includes soft-pedaling criticism of China's human rights and financial policies as well as backing efforts to elevate China's position in international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund. Obama administration officials have termed the new policy "strategic reassurance," which entails the U.S. government taking steps to convince China that it is not out to contain the emerging Asian power. WaPo

The media is reporting that Obama postponed a meetup with the Dalai Lama who is in D.C. this week but the White House says the meeting wasn't postponed because there wasn't one in the first place:

A senior administration official denied that the Dalai Lama had sought a meeting with Obama in October and "instead he would like to see him in December." He said it was "counter-factual" to assume that a meeting had been postponed. The official briefed a reporter on the condition that his name not be used. WaPo

The U.S. decision to postpone the meeting appears to be part of a strategy to improve ties with China that also includes soft-pedaling criticism of China's human rights and financial policies as well as backing efforts to elevate China's position in international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund. Obama administration officials have termed the new policy "strategic reassurance," which entails the U.S. government taking steps to convince China that it is not out to contain the emerging Asian power. WaPo

Obama wants to try something new for China and Tibet:

U.S. officials also said they are not pulling punches with the Chinese. They have, however, indicated that they want to try something new on Tibet, figuring that the old policy -- of meeting with the Dalai Lama regularly and calling for substantive talks between China and his representatives -- had achieved little. American officials told Tibetan representatives that "this president is not interested in symbolism or photo ops but in deliverables," the Asian diplomat said. "He wants something to come out of his efforts over Tibet, rather than just checking a box."

Talks between China and representatives of the Dalai Lama, who fled China in 1959 after an anti-Chinese uprising, collapsed in 2008. There are signs that they might resume soon. Read it all at WaPo

Obama Visits National Institutes of Health Sept. 30

UPDATE: See the video here.

UPDATE: Event concluded. Obama announced $5 BILLION in research grants for NIH. I'll post video when it's up.

UPDATE: Obama will arrive at NIH at 10:30 to tour. He's scheduled to speak at 11 am eastern. via Politico
Obama will visit the National Institutes of Health in Maryland on Sept. 30, along with Kathleen Sebelius and Francis Collins, director of the NIH. Obama will make an announcement regarding NIH Challenge Grants, a recovery act program. It should be live streamed at cnn.com, whitehouse.gov/live or msnbc.com.

Visit recovery.gov to see where the stimulus has gone.
The NIH received $8.2 billion in stimulus:

The recent ARRA legislation provides an unprecedented level of funding ($8.2 billion in extramural funding) to the NIH to help stimulate the US economy through the support and advancement of scientific research. While NIH Institutes and Centers have broad flexibility to invest in many types of grant programs, they will follow the spirit of the ARRA by funding projects that will stimulate the economy, create or retain jobs, and have the potential for making scientific progress in 2 years. Read more about plans for the money here.

See recently funded NIH projects here.

What is a challenge grant?

President Obama and Vice President Biden believe federally funded scientific research should play an important role in advancing science and technology in the classroom and in the lab.

The Challenge Grant program is designed to spur new areas of research and trigger an influx of research dollars into communities across the nation. NIH requested applications on topics in fifteen broad scientific areas the agency believes will benefit from a jumpstart or in which scientific challenges need to be overcome. They include bioethics, translational science, genomics, health disparities, enhancing clinical trials, behavioral change and prevention, and regenerative medicine.

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will check the applications for compliance and review them in a two-phase process. Reviewers with expertise in the specialized topic areas were recruited to do the first phase reviews. Their reviews and the applications will be further assessed by one of about 30 study sections comprising researchers who will focus on overall significance and impact.

All Challenge Grant applications will receive a summary statement containing critiques with criterion scores from three assigned reviewers. More than 18,000 scientists are expected to be involved in the Challenge Grant peer review process.

CSR typically reviews 16,000 applications with the help of about 8,000 reviewers in each of the three main yearly review rounds. Including Challenge Grants and other ARRA grants, CSR will assess about 40,000 applications this round with about 28,000 reviewers.

The deadline for Challenge Grant applications was April 27. Scores and summary statements will be available in August 2009. Challenge Grant awards will be issued by September 30, 2009. NIH

Read more about challenge grants at the Dept. of Health and Human Services here.

Obama Attends North American Leaders Summit in Mexico in August

Obama in Canada

Via Politico, via Robert Gibbs:

"The President will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, August 9-10 to attend the North American Leaders Summit with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The summit meeting will provide an opportunity for the United States, Mexico, and Canada to engage on a broad range of issues, including economic recovery and competitiveness in North America, our shared interest in energy and the environment, and cooperation among our governments to promote the safety and welfare of our citizens, including continued close cooperation to counter the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic."

Obama and Putin Power Breakfast

Next up, the G8 Summit in Italy.
July 8-10: Obama will attend the G8 in Italy (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States).
July 10: Obama meets the Pope
July 10-11: Obama will visit Ghana
Chuck Todd says Obama got lectured by Putin:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Russians are skeptical at best about the U.S.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

What Awaits Obama in Ghana

Obama's travel schedule this coming week:
July 6-8: Obama will be in Russia meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
July 8-10: Obama will attend the G8 in Italy (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States).
July 10 The Obamas meet the Pope
July 10-11: Obama will visit Ghana
Read more on his Ghana trip here.

Obama to Meet the Pope

Outdoor White House meeting

Following the G8 Summit (read about that here), Obama will meet with the Pope:

Vatican officials said the U.S. leader will have an afternoon audience with the Pope in the Vatican after the conclusion of a July 8-10 summit of Group of Eight industrial nations, due to take place in the Italian city of L'Aquila.

"The Pope is ready to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in the afternoon of July 10," deputy Vatican spokesman Ciro Benedettini told Reuters. Read more

Obama's upcoming travel schedule:

July 6-8: Obama will be in Russia meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
July 8-10: Obama will attend the G8 in Italy (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States).
July 10-11: Obama will visit Ghana

Obama Meets With King Abdullah

Here is the arrival ceremony. 

“The United States and Saudi Arabia have a long history of friendship,” Mr. Obama said, standing alongside King Abdullah, as the two began a series of meetings. “We have a strategic relationship.

He added, “I thought it was very important to come to the place where Islam began and to seek his majesty’s counsel and to discuss with him many of the issues that we confront here in the Middle East.”

Mr. Obama, who flew overnight from Washington, received a royal welcome as he stepped off Air Force One and walked across a red carpet in the grueling afternoon heat. The president and the king exchanged a light embrace and kiss, but Mr. Obama did not bow before the king as he did at their first meeting in London earlier this year, a gesture that drew criticism.

The trip to Saudi Arabia, which comes on the eve of Mr. Obama’s highly anticipated speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, was added to the White House itinerary last week. Administration officials said it would have been diplomatically awkward to be in the region without visiting Saudi Arabia, an important ally.

The king, who placed a gold medallion around Mr. Obama’s neck, smiled as he recalled the visit of another American president to his horse farm outside Riyadh.

“I am not surprised, given the historically strategic ties between our two countries, I believe that go back to the time of the meeting between the late Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the late King Abdul Aziz,” King Abdullah said. “I also want to express my best wishes to the friendly American people who are represented by a distinguished man who deserves to be in this position.”

Mr. Obama replied, “Shoukran,” using the Arabic for “Thank you.” Read more at NYT

Why Did Obama Pick Cairo?

Why Cairo? The answer is simple, says Denis McDonough, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. "Egypt is a longtime strategic ally of the United States," he says. "It's a key country in the Arab and Muslim world … with a burgeoning younger population that the president looks very much forward to engaging."

Read the rest or listen at NPR.
Obama's set to give his speech Thursday. He'll be dining with King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia tomorrow. Here's the rest of the plan (read more here):

July 6-8: Obama will be in Russia meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
July 8-10: Obama will attend the G8 in Italy (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States).
July 10-11: Obama will visit Ghana

Obama to Visit King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia June 3

Before his trip to Egypt June 4 (read about that here), Obama will stop first in Saudi Arabia.

President Barack Obama is adding a stop in Saudi Arabia next week to his travels through Egypt and Europe, as part of an appeal for renewed Middle East peace talks.

Obama will meet with Saudi's King Abdullah in Riyadh on June 3 to discuss an array of issues, including the pursuit of peace in the Middle East, Iran's nuclear ambitions and the threat of terrorism, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said today. Swamp

Obama To Visit Russia, Italy and Ghana in July

Obama practices his golf swing on the go
Update: Michelle and the girls will be going along on the trip. 

July 6-8: Obama will be in Russia meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
July 8-10: Obama will attend the G8 in Italy (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States).
July 10-11: Obama will visit Ghana

U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to Moscow for talks with Russian leaders, attend a Group of Eight summit in Italy and visit Ghana in a wide-ranging foreign tour in July, the White House said on Saturday.

Obama will also chair a meeting on energy and climate change with leaders of the world's top economies while attending the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, from July 8-10.

It will be Obama's fourth major international trip since taking office in January pledging to repair the United States' image abroad after eight years under his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Obama, who has promised a "reset" in sometimes strained relations with Russia, will visit Moscow from July 6-8 at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Reuters

Obama will visit Ghana's capital to strengthen U.S.-Ghana relations and highlight Ghana as a success story because it has become a stable democracy: 

Obama, along with his wife, Michelle, will visit Accra, Ghana, on July 10 and July 11, the White House said Saturday. It will follow Obama's trip to the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, from July 8 to July 10.

Obama will address various bilateral and regional issues with Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, the White House said in a news statement. CNN

There's some fascinating Ghana history via a series of video clips here. Ghana's first president after it achieved independence in 1957 was Kwame Nkrumah, who was educated in the U.S. and England. He led as a dictator and was tossed and for a while the military ran the country. Ghana is the size of Oregon.
Atta Mills, who eked out a win in 2008, in action (April 2009):

Obama Speaks in Egypt June 4

Obama will make his long-planned speech in a Muslim country in Egypt on June 4. He will also travel to Dresden, Germany, to visit the Buchenwald concentration camp, where his grandmother's brother, Charlie Payne, helped liberate a sub camp after World War II. While he's out and about, he will also commemorate D-Day in Normandy, France on June 6.

The White House announced on Friday that President Obama planned to give a major policy speech on relations with the Muslim world in Egypt on June 4.

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said the precise city for the speech had not been nailed down, and that Egypt’s President Mabarak had not initiated an invitation for the president to speak there.

At the White House daily briefing, Mr. Gibbs was asked why Egypt was selected. “You know, the country that in many ways represents the heart of the — of the Arab world, and I think it will be a terrific opportunity for the president to address and discuss our relationship with the Muslim world,” he said. Mr. Obama’s father was a Muslim, although Mr. Obama has been a practicing Christian for years. Read rest at NYT

Obama Takes Off For Britain

The Obamas climb aboard Air Force One:

On Tuesday morning, President Obama will travel to London, arriving in the evening. He will attend the G-20 summit and other meetings Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday morning, he will depart for Strasbourg, France where he will attend the NATO summit. On Saturday, he will depart Strasbourg to Prague, Czech Republic. On Sunday, he will depart to Ankara, Turkey. On Monday, he will travel to Istanbul, Turkey. On Tuesday, April 7, he will return to Washington. Lynn SweetRead about his plans in Turkey here.

Read more details about his five days abroad here.
Video of what might await him here.

Obama's Selling Stimulus in Elkhart and Fort Myers Next Week

Before Obama's TV appearance on Monday, he's planning a trip to Elkhart, Indiana, where they have a 15% unemployment rate, largely because of the loss of the RV industry. The next day he's headed to Fort Myers, Florida. Read more here.
In case you haven't heard, jobs lost in January-- 598,000, the largest loss in a single month since 1974. In January, unemployment rose 7.2 to 7.6%.

Obama's Bold Trip Overseas

Finally, some people are recognizing the boldness of Obama's trip. Obama is always having to prove himself and every single time, he steps up to the plate and hits a home run. 
He gets criticized for not having foreign policy chops and now he gets criticized for being too presumptuous. Anyone see the irony?  

WaPo: A veteran of former president Clinton's administration, someone who understands both politics and foreign policy, described this week's seven-nation trip as one of the four most important events for Obama between now and Election Day -- the others being his selection of a vice presidential running mate, his convention and his debates with McCain.

What struck this person was the boldness of Obama's decision to spend more than a week abroad in the middle of a campaign. Not, of course, for the reasons Obama outlined, but no less an example of Obama's self-confidence. "This is a big-league move to directly address a concern that the American people are going to have" about his candidacy, he said.

What is striking is how Obama's campaign differs from past Democratic campaigns. In earlier years, Democratic candidates couldn't wait to move off of foreign policy and onto domestic issues, aware that their party more or less owned the domestic debate, while Republicans generally held the high ground on national security. The more time they could spend focusing the contest on domestic issues, the better their chances of winning.

Start the Prayers for Obama

If you're a religious sort, get on it. Break out the prayers. If you're a spiritual person, start the positive thinking, only good thoughts. If you don't go for any of that, then hope and good wishes will do.

Israel News: U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama's upcoming trip to Israel and the West Bank has raised serious security concerns among American officials, the U.S.-based news website Drudge Report reported Friday.

Obama was scheduled to visit Israel and the West Bank in the coming days as part of a swing through the Middle East, Palestinian and Israeli officials said earlier this week.

Obama will be in Israel on July 22 and 23 and hold talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, President Shimon Peres and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli official said.

Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat said Obama would also meet President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah next Wednesday

Obama's 5 Nation Tour that USA Today Dampens

USA Today tries to dampen Obama at every turn. Sometimes a writer's agenda is too obvious. Italics mine.

USA Today: In contrast to the low-key coverage of Republican John McCain's European and Middle East trip in March, Obama will be accompanied by a campaign plane of reporters and trailed by three network broadcast anchors. McCain got some headlines, but did not have a traveling press corps.
Hmmm.... I wonder why no one cared to follow McCain. Could it be that he's an uninspiring leader? Once again, the power of leadership is discounted. Only a leader can truly accomplish big goals.
Obama is "going to be a rock star," said James Thurber, an American University political scientist who recently taught a course in Brussels. "Expectations are high," agreed Christian Hacke, a retired professor of foreign policy at the University of Bonn. "I think too high."
The insinuation that we shouldn't expect too much from Obama.
Obama lived in Indonesia as a child but lacks the foreign policy experience of McCain, a Navy veteran and the top-ranking GOP member of the Senate's Armed Services Committee.
Here is the assumption that experience over brilliance, wisdom and judgement is most important. Might I add, McCain had a certain kind of military "experience."
Obama leads McCain in the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. But when asked whether each candidate can handle the responsibilities of being commander in chief, eight in 10 said McCain could, compared with 55% for Obama.

Once again, USA Today points to Obama's perceived weakness.
This week, Obama delivered two foreign policy speeches and began airing a TV ad touting foreign policy plans. On Wednesday, he told an Indiana audience he would try to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
This sounds so bland, no context, no details. Obama just wants to rid the the world of nukes. How lofty of him.
Obama is discovering that travel abroad can be both a broadening experience and potentially hazardous. He has ruffled feathers in Jerusalem by telling U.S. Jewish leaders last month that he regards the ancient city as Israel's undivided capital — and then amending his statement after Palestinian protests.

Pointing again to the negatives. 
In Germany, an Obama plan to speak before the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of German reunification, "went over like a lead balloon," said Janet Day-Strehlow, an American voter who lives in Munich and supports the Democrat. Still, Day-Strehlow added, "I think there will be a good bit of forgiveness because he's new on the world scene."
Pointing out the negative and highlighting it with a condescending statement. Obama doesn't need forgiveness. 
Overseas interest in Obama's visit is high. "Germany is Obama-land," Karsten Voight, a German official in charge of relations with the U.S., told a German newspaper earlier this year. A May poll of more than 6,000 Europeans for London's Daily Telegraph showed Obama favored over McCain by wide margins in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia.
Can we have some context? Why do Europeans like Obama. Could it be that they're hopeful that America will become America again? 
In the Arab world, Obama's candidacy has left many "pleasantly surprised with him and the United States," said Hussein Ibish, senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine. Ibish cited Obama's Arabic middle name, Hussein.
Now, understand USA Today is the people's paper because it's full of photos and not a whole lot of analysis so to mention that Ibish cited Obama's middle name without adding context incites all the hate mongers.

While foreign experience can enhance a candidate's stature, history shows it can also backfire.

Planting the seeds of doubt. I have no doubt that Obama will be quite comfortable overseas because he's culturally aware and respectful.
In 2004, stories about Democratic nominee John Kerry's family ties to France hurt him. In 1999, a hug between then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Suha Arafat, wife of then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, nearly derailed Clinton's fledgling Senate campaign in New York.
Pointing to two "mistakes" by democrats. Where are the republican examples.
For Obama, a rapturous overseas reception may be exhilarating, but "whether blue-collar workers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan think it's great is questionable," says American University's Thurber.
Note the use of the word "rapturous." And again, as if the election hinged on the racist vote. Blue collar voters support Obama too. Plenty of them. It's just the racists of the Appalachian region who have a problem and they will be drowned out this election.

Overall, a highly negative story about a promising trip.

Obama's Overseas Details For July

I don't know about you but I'm really excited to see Obama welcomed all over the world.

Swamp: Reports in foreign media now suggest the trip is scheduled for late July.

The French news agency Agence France-Press reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet with Obama at the Elysee Palace on Friday July 25.

In Israel, Obama is expected to arrive on Tuesday July 22 or Wednesday July 23 for a two- or three-day visit to include a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, which cited a report in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot.

The German magazine Der Spiegel reports that the Obama campaign is considering a major speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the site of a famous Ronald Reagan speech in 1987 in which the former president challenged then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down that wall." A large new U.S. embassy opened there on July 4.

Obama Travels to Israel in July

That's according to JTA: 

Barack Obama reportedly will visit Israel this month.

The presumptive Democratic Party candidate to succeed President Bush is expected to arrive in Israel on July 22 or 23 for a two- or three-day visit, Yediot Achronot reported Sunday.

Senator Obama (D-Ill.), who is seen as keen to boost his security credentials and support among American Jews ahead of the November vote, has confirmed he plans to come to Israel as part of a pre-election tour of the region but has not yet released dates.