Obama becomes a foreign policy expert

Obama joins a long list of other candidates of the past who make trips around the world in election years (and before.) They do this, for one thing, to improve their image in front of the voters. A host of side trips, pressing the flesh of selected foreign politicians, hotels, and meals, transforms them into foreign policy experts who are now qualified to handle all problems of foreign relations for 300 million of us. Seriously. Is this for real? You bet it is. They would not make these trips unless they benefited in the eyes of many voters. It is a tangible signal that they are doing their homework to become qualifed as Prez, tangible, that is, to the naive.

There are other reasons for traveling. Obama expects to be Prez, and he needs to establish his place in the club of the world’s rulers. He wants to be numero uno among them. Personal characteristics matter in that competition. It is a very personal club. These leaders play high stakes games with our lives.

It is unclear whether it is better for us that a candidate travel than not travel. It may help Obama achieve his personal foreign policy aims better by having traveled, but will that be good for us? Chances are it won’t. Having traveled, Obama will even more than now look upon himself as Prez of the globe and want to do something about all those foreign problems he is regaled with.

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10:18 am on July 19, 2008