Opinion: Barack Obama, John McCain are planning foreign road trips

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With John McCain heading south, Barack Obama announced this morning he’s heading east -- to Europe and the Middle East ‘to assess the situation in countries that are critical to American national security, and to consult with close friends and allies,’ as the campaign put it.

The release didn’t specify a date for the trip, but spokesman Bill Burton said it will be ‘later this summer.’ So the timing seems to have been designed to take a little thunder from McCain’s planned trip this week to Colombia and Mexico.

Obama’s agenda on his trip, the campaign said, will include ‘common challenges like terrorism, nuclear proliferation and climate change.’ And Obama sent a special nod to Israel. ‘Israel is a strong and close friend of the United States, and is confronting grave threats from Gaza to Tehran,’ Obama said in the statement. ‘Jordan has been a close partner in the peace process and a host of other issues of common concern. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are key anchors of the transatlantic alliance and have contributed to the mission in Afghanistan, and I look forward to discussing how we can strengthen our partnership in the years to come. This will be an important opportunity to have an exchange of views with leaders in these countries about these and other issues that are critical to American national security -- and global security -- in the 21st century.’

McCain has already gone international. Just days after sealing the Republican nomination in early March, he went to Europe and the Middle East as part of a congressional delegation, though as his party’s presumptive nominee he was certainly more than just another legislator on that trip. He nipped up to Canada earlier this month and next week, as we noted, he’s off to Colombia and Mexico.

Of course, with the exception of a few expats, there are no voters to woo on such trips. The idea is to show interest in, and command of, foreign relations. And maybe steal some of the spotlight from the other guy.

-- Scott Martelle

Photo credits: Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times; Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times