Over There

In late June 2008, the Obama campaign announced plans to travel overseas in mid-July, with visits to Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, France, Germany, and London. Initially, the stop in Berlin was to include a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, where U.S. Presidents Kennedy and Reagan gave memorable speeches. But the Berlin location was later changed to the Victory Column.

Early in July 2012, GOP candidate Mitt Romney announced plans for a foreign trip this summer to include stops in Israel and London, with consideration also given to Germany and Poland.

A recent US News & World Report article states that Romney has said he will "do the opposite" of Obama on Israel, but has not specified details. The article also quotes an Obama spokesman's reply: "Governor Romney has said he would do the opposite of what President Obama has done in our relations with Israel. Now he must specify how - does that mean he would reverse President Obama's policies of sending Israel the largest security assistance packages in history? Does it mean he would let Israel stand alone at the United Nations, or that he would stop funding the Iron Dome system? Does it mean he would abandon the coalition working together to confront Iran's nuclear ambitions?"