Obama Camp’s Foreign Briefing
Today the Obama campaign held a briefing for reporters traveling on Obama’s trip to the Middle East and Europe. In a conference room at the Four Seasons hotel in Amman, senior advisors spoke on background for a little less than an hour, discussing Obama’s motives and itinerary while abroad.
The presumptive Democratic nominee and Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), who accompanied Obama on a Congressional Delegation trip to Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq, are scheduled to arrive in Jordan by V22 aircraft at 2:30pm, local time. After getting briefed and resting up, the senators will hold a 45-minute media avail on their CODEL at the historic Amman Citadel.
While he isn’t exactly a stranger to magazine covers, television news, and newspapers, go ahead and call it Obama week in the U.S. press. There are 40 journalists whose news outlets are paying thousands of dollars to cover Obama’s first foreign trip as candidate for president - and he will sit down with anchors from the five television networks who will make the overseas journey to conduct the interviews in person.
The purpose of this trip isn’t political, Obama’s advisors say, but the candidate stands to gain from the expected constant press coverage, which will come by way of numerous photo-ops with world leaders, press conferences, and one rally-like event in Berlin, where some tens of thousands are expected.
But the campaign denies the Germany event is a big political rally. One advisor explained, “It will not be a speech about campaign issues, he’s not going to address campaign issues in terms of other candidates, it is not a speech about American politics, and so it’s not a campaign event. We’re not trying to recruit support from the crowds that are coming.”
Rather, “The point of the outdoor rally is that the Senator wants to speak directly to our allies and to the people of Europe and the people of the world and it would be inconsistent to do that and try to limit the attendance for that event. There’s a great deal of interest in his visit. We want to accommodate that interest.”
The campaign told reporters today that Obama will not hold any fundraisers while he is abroad - despite the fact that the Democrat is wildly popular in Europe.
Read Obama’s itinerary after the jump.
WEDNESDAY
Obama will meet with Defense Minister Barak, Benjamin Netanyahu, drop by the Holocaust museum, and then meet with Perez. While it’s not on the schedule, they are trying to fit in a stop at the Western Wall, because it’s something Obama “really wants to do.”
He will then go to Ramallah by car to meet with Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas and Fayad at the President’s office. He will meet with Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Livni, and then head to Sderot by helicopter with Livni, where the campaign noted Israeli security is at threat every day here. Obama will see first hand the threats and get personal feel for every day implications of that.
He then heads back to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Olmert.
THURSDAY
In Berlin, Obama will meet with Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier before giving his only speech of the trip in Berlin.
FRIDAY
He will pop into France for a meeting with President Sarkozy, and then head to London.
SATURDAY
Obama has a breakfast meeting with Tony Blair (where they will discuss, among other things, the environment) before going to 10 Downing Street to meet with Gordon Brown. He will cap his trip with a meeting with Conservative Party leader David Cameron.
Tags: Afghanistan, england, france, germany, Iraq, Israel, jordan, obama
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I can’t find anything on Obama’s gibberish response to a question talked about on last night’s FOX Report.
Yawn
America First….McCain ‘08
Re-comments by Joyce Jordan.
Not surprising that you call it gibberish. This is the Obama intelligent generation. Dumb asses like you can’t understand. You are for the past and willing to be used as war fodder.
For McCain to try to argue that he is not being treated fairly by the media is downright outrageous. Nobody in the history of modern politics has been a bigger media sweetheart than John McCain. http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/john_mccain
Really…for McCain to try to argue that he is not being treated fairly by the media is downright outrageous. Nobody in the history of modern politics has been a bigger media sweetheart than John McCain. http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/john_mccain
I don’t think Obama should be given press to go over there and talk against US policies. I will not ever watch CBS, NBC, CBS news again. Shame on them for their pandering.
I’ll try and help you. the gibberish was not in Obama’s respose….the gibberish was in the commentary!
Obama’s talking points have nothing to do with anything, especially foreign policy. The man is not only a moron, but dangerous and a threat to sixty years of negotiation done by professionals who were experts, not no-nothing novices.
__________________________sent Monday July 21
To: My Congressperson
July, 21, 2008
I would like to know from my representative why N. Pelosi is working to destroy this country?
I have children here and do not like the direction the democratic led Congress is taking the American people.
It would seem to me that pelosi, reid, and others are deliberately causing pain, to the American people
in order to enhance some lunatic plan to make “change” appear to be the only salvation.
We seem to have NO leadership in the Congress or Senate,
of course not one of you has any personal contact with the problems you create.
If members of Congress and the Senate would stop their grabbing for everything they can stuff in their
pockets, ( power, position, cash ) for a while, maybe some of you could do some actual work for the people who have no choice but to pay you.
Some suggestions:
Cut the federal gas tax in half - and make the needed alterations to ‘your’ budget to accommodate such.
If the American people can adapt why not the American government?
Encourage or require state governments to also cut in half their gas tax - and make the needed alterations to ’state’ budgets to accommodate such.
Why are there families going with out food, shelter, medical care to pay tax to fund local, state, and federal governments who waste money by the
minute without a thought about it? ( And we all know they do just that )
Immediately begin programs to encourage Wind, Water, and solar power production, beyond what they currently are.
Immediately coordinate with states to have them also accommodate alternative energy production,
including manufacture, sales, and especially implementation by villages, towns/cities, and individuals.
Expand exploration and retrieval of natural gas, maybe listen to what Boone Pickens has to say.
Make a deal with the major oil companies to give back one half of the land they now hold and judge to be non-productive,
in exchange for an equal amount of land or off shore space that may indicate to be more valuable in resource.
Maybe Congress and the Senate members could pack a lunch once a week?
Cut down or in half unneeded air travel by government, Cut down, Cut back, Half your usage.
Do it now - What are you waiting for?
dissatisfied by the complete failure to produce.
My name
My address
They have given his day by day itinerary. No matter what they say- HE IS CAMPAIGNING OVERSEAS WHILE THE SENATE IS STILL IN SESSION. (Shouldn’t he be over here working on OUR energy situation and solutions to it?) It’s nice to know that tax money is going to PAY HIS SALARY while he is over campaigning with people who can’t vote for him. I want a person who will be PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES not President of the World. Just imagine how our country would be if everyone followed his work ethic.
How much is this Obama tour costing the American taxpayers? I would like to see other Senators and/or Representatives with a contrarian or objective view retrace his route and follow up on this national and now international debate over the Iraq withdrawal question as well as the question of escalating the Afghanistan war Obama so vociferously screams about. That would be the democratic way wouldn’t it?
The Media is one sided for Obama. Not fair.
Obama’s purpose is “not political?” Who’s he kidding–it’s completely political. BTW, check out http://www.notwrightforamerica.com. Unlike Obama’s media friends, they pull no punches in telling the story of Obama and his radical wife. The Obamas are not WRIGHT for America!
to mawell
How much mccan tour Iraq more than 8 time costing the American taxpayers?
Obama team has organized this campaign to an art form. But that does not change who Obama is. Obama delivers speeches but is unable to talk freely without ‘hmmming’ a lot or making gaffes. His rock star does not change the fact he has some very scary friends and supporters not does it change the fact he attended a racist hateful church for 20 years, nor that he is a dirty manipulating Chicago politician. And this tour du force around the world still does not change the fact Obama has no experience especially in international polices or diplomacy. God help us all if Mesia-Obama gets into the white house!