Obama is the world's candidate! Here is a link to a 5-minute video from ABC news about the world's reaction to Obama's presidential campaign. Here is an LA Times article about Obama's initial reception in Afghanistan and an overview of the destinations on this historic trip to Europe and the Middle East. Here's a Herald Tribune article about the trip.Check out this great video of Obama on Meet the Press hosted by Tom Brokaw on Sunday (the last day of his trip) in London--or you can read the transcript.
Here's the Itinerary for Obama's busy trip to Europe and the Middle East:
Click here for an interactive version of this map showing Obama's foreign support in various countries (highlighting the countries that he visited). The blue color indicates a higher level of support for Obama in the given country, and the red outlines indicate countries where Obama is visiting this week.
Reuters reported that Germans are very excited about Obama's upcoming trip, but authorities are concerned about logistical problems when possibly hundreds of thousands of people show up to the main event at the Siegessäule in Berlin's Tiergarten. AFP reports that Obama's reception in the Middle East may be more tentative than the excitement that the candidate expects in Europe."While Barack Obama can expect to be feted as a hero as "Obamamania" strikes Europe, he faces a more uncertain welcome on the Middle East leg of his international campaign swing this week.
The presumptive Democratic White House nominee is less popular in Israel than his Republican rival John McCain, and his offer of direct talks with Iranian leaders has caused some consternation in the Jewish state.
Obama also crossed swords with the Palestinian leadership, after vowing in June that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided," a comment which seemed to prejudge final status peace talks.... Obama has however hinted at a return to a fully engaged US role in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, which President George W. Bush avoided until late in his second term....
Obama... is expected to arrive in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II on Monday, after making crucial war zone visits to Afghanistan Sunday, and an expected onward journey to Iraq. Jordanian sources said King Abdullah would take the opportunity to stress the importance of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.....
Obama will then move to Israel for talks with the full spectrum of top officials, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and opposition Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli government officials will be delighted to meet Obama and "exchange ideas" with him, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said.... In a poll by Israel's Mutagim survey institute in June, Israeli Jews favored McCain over Obama 36 to 27 percent."
Barack Obama attended a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem today (July 23, 2008).
There is more on Barack and Israel from AP. You may be interested to read how TIME covered Barack's trip to Israel:
Obama's last stop of the day was at the embattled Prime Minister's residence. "I'm very happy that you found the time to come and visit with us in the tradition of all the great friends of the state of Israel and I know how friendly you are and how much you care for us," Ehud Olmert told Obama in the courtyard.Video of Obama in Sderot, Israel (July 23, 2008)--for more click here
As they say in diplomacy and politics, everyone was right on message.
Barack Obama has also been called upon to revisit his comment that he would meet with world leaders of nations such as Iran, Syria, and other nations with whom American Presidents have recently boycotted meeting (preferring to bully these nations without direct contact). He defended and expanded upon his original statement, and you can read more (CNN coverage) here.
John McCain has complained that the networks are sending their best news anchors and devoting a lot of airtime to Obama's trip, and McCain is arguing for fair time. He's also mad that the NY Times rejected his essay. I was thinking maybe he should do something (or write something) newsworthy rather than complaining, "it's not fair!" Then I heard rumors about a possible VP announcement from the Repubs this week. interesting...McCain's friends Michelle Malkin (who organized an "Obama World Tour" t-shirt contest poking fun at the Senator's trip-where this Beatles-themed image comes from) and others aren't afraid to stick up for their candidate:
Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post published the article on Tuesday and carried an editorial accusing the New York Times of bias: “The New York Times is showing its true colour again (i.e. cobalt blue): just days after running an essay by Barack Obama slamming John McCain’s Iraq policy proposals, the paper summarily nixed the Arizona senator’s rejoinder.” — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008So that's all the "fair time" John McCain is going to get on my blog...
and they're singing about it:
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