I was reading James Joyner’s round-up of the coverage of Obama’s speech in Germany (along with the comments) and a few thoughts occurred¹.

I find it amusing that some on the rightward side of things is criticizing the trip as nothing but show. Of course it was for show. What else is campaigning for? What was McCain’s trip to Colombia and Mexico if not for show?

Sure, the trip did little (if anything) to actually confer foreign policy experience on Obama. But by the same token , going around the US talking about social security, taxation, welfare, education or whatever confers no domestic policy experience, either.

This was campaigning–nothing more, nothing less.

I find it all interesting because 1) it demonstrate the ongoing significance of the US, as I can’t imagine another candidate from any other country going abroad and receiving any attention whatsoever, let along this kind of attention; 2) I wonder the degree to which this is a new thing-i.e., taking the campaign abroad (if so, it is an interesting development in modern campaigning); and 3) I wonder if McCain now regrets goading Obama into going to Iraq, as if Obama hadn’t gone to Iraq/Afghanistan, I suspect he wouldn’t have gone to Europe.

Indeed, on that last count I have to think that McCain may be regretting the whole running total of days since Obama had been to Iraq and the whole “look at me, I went to Latin America and so should you” bit.

Indeed, now McCain is criticizing what Obama did while abroad (via MSNBC’s First Read):

“I would rather speak at a rally or a political gathering any place outside of the country after I am president of the United States,” McCain told O’Donnell. “But that’s a judgment that Sen. Obama and the American people will make.” 

And it should be noted that First Read post notes:

However, on June 20, McCain himself gave a speech in Canada — to the Economic Club of Canada — in which he applauded NAFTA’s successes. An implicit message behind that speech was that Obama had been critical of the trade accord. Also, McCain’s trip to Canada was paid for by the campaign.

Clearly the McCain camp was hoping that Obama was going to go abroad and commit some sort of gaffe that they could exploit. I can see nothing of consequence that Obama gave the McCain campaign and plenty that the Obama campaign can use to their own positive end.

1. In fact, part of this post is an expanded version of a comment I left there [↩]

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