Obama visits Middle East and Europe; McCain: Obama would rather loose a war in order to win a political campaign; Poll indicates narrowing margin between the two candidates
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    • Sen. Barack Obama visited the Middle East and Western Europe during the week. Obama reportedly assured his Israeli hosts that if elected President, he would not coerce Israel to accede concessions which could be detrimental to the security of Israel1. He also traveled to the West Bank to meet with the Palestinian leadership, a trip Sen.
    McCain had not undertaken during his visit to the region. Speaking to reporters in Amman on July 21 at the end of his three-day visit to Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama stated that the US military has done a commendable job in the country and that the security situation had improved2.

    Sen. Obama delivered a significant speech in Berlin during his European tour on July 24. While conceding that American actions around the world had “not lived up to our best intentions,” Obama called for greater cooperation from America’s European allies in tackling pressing global challenges3. The speech was aimed at driving home the Illinois Senator’s ability to handle foreign policy issues, a domain in which Sen. McCain was said to have an edge over his Democratic contender4.

    Sen. McCain’s campaign meanwhile was critical of Obama’s foreign tour and continues to question his foreign policy credentials. McCain charged that Obama “would rather loose a war in order to win a political campaign.” McCain also pointed out that Obama had opposed the rise in the number of US troops in Iraq5.

    In other developments, a survey indicated that the margin between the two candidates was narrowing down in states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado and Minnesota. The poll was conducted by the Quinnipiac University in association with The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post6.

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