Photograph by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images
An Israeli Arab school girl walks by an ice statue of President Barack Obama at the ‘Ice Festival’ showroom on March 19, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel.
Following the last of the Washington receptions for the Irish prime minister at the White House this evening, the post-St. Patrick’s Day tour of the Taoiseach, President Barack Obama will leave for his own tour of the Middle East.
Mark Knoller, the longtime White House correspondent for CBS News and undisputed chronicler of all matters travel, reports of the overnight journey starting tonight:
The stops in Israel, the West Bank and Jordan will bring to 38 the number of countries Pres Obama has visited since taking office.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) March 19, 2013
As same point in presidency of GWBush, he had made 24 foreign trips and visited 43 foreign countries.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) March 19, 2013
As Bloomberg’s Margaret Talev reports, Obama will have yet another nation on his mind:
Obama, who departs late today, is seeking leverage with Israel’s elected officials in his first trip there since taking office by reaching out to the Israeli public. On the national security issue uppermost in that nation’s politics, Iran’s nuclear threat, he wants more time for sanctions to work, rather than military action.
See the full story at Bloomberg.com.
