Associated Press reports:
(Washington) Sen. Barack Obama 's trip to the Middle East and Europe marks his first high-profile step onto the international stage, a campaign-season audition of sorts for a presidential hopeful pledging a new era in diplomacy and an end to the U.S. combat role in Iraq. The trip is planned to put Obama into settings often occupied by presidents, including formal meetings with foreign leaders, public speeches and visits to historical sites. "It's an opportunity for him to sit down with the international leaders with whom he would have to work as president of the United States, and discuss some of the issues," said David Axelrod, the campaign's senior strategist. READ MORE