Obama Is Home, "America Is Back"

White House Chief Of Staff Says Value Of President's Trip To Europe, Iraq Is "Tangible And Intangible"

(CBS/AP)  "There is still a lot of work to do here," President Obama declared in Baghdad.

He could have been talking about every stop of his jam-packed, eight-day, six-country overseas trip.

In London, Mr. Obama joined other world leaders in trying to tackle the spiraling global economic crisis. In France, he sought help from NATO allies in dealing with the deteriorating war in Afghanistan. In the Czech Republic, Mr. Obama pledged to end the threat of nuclear weapons. In Turkey, he sought to start repairing America's dismal standing in the Muslim world. And in Iraq, he pushed for Iraqis to "take responsibility for their own country."

The pile of problems on Mr. Obama's desk was high before he left, and remains so now that he is back.

The president returned to Washington in the early hours of Wednesday morning, bringing his lengthy debut on the world stage - including his first stop in a war zone as commander in chief - to a close.

Aides said he brought home achievements both large and small, evidence, they said, of the benefits of the extended travel that turned attention away from all the pressing matters at home for the first time in his less-than-three-month-old presidency.

"It's tangible and intangible," White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said of the trip's value.

For a nation gripped with worry about its economic future, among the concrete things Mr. Obama achieved was an agreement out of the Group of 20 summit in London. The wealthy and developing nations promised to get a handle on risky financial transactions, to act to further stimulate their economies if growth doesn't improve, and to help poorer nations feeling more effects from the global financial meltdown than they can mitigate on their own.

Mr. Obama didn't get European nations to step up with the kind of immediate stimulus spending that might quickly jump-start their economies and in turn boost America's, but he billed the meetings as a success nonetheless.

Emanuel also cited the commitments from NATO allies "to do their part" in Afghanistan, even though nations agreed only to make modest new contributions to short-term security and training efforts, and not to join the heavy fighting in the volatile south and east of the country. Mr. Obama also made some strides toward addressing the international nuclear threat by launching talks with Russia toward a new arms-control pact.

There was a less quantifiable side of the ledger, as well.

Between Mr. Obama's outreach to local students at town halls in France and Turkey, as well as speeches and well over a dozen private meetings with individual foreign leaders, aides felt the president established a new-sheriff-in-town vibe.

"Yesterday during a town hall meeting with Turkish students, the president kind of made fun of the American media," noted CBS News White House correspondent Chip Reid. "He said, 'Some of my reporter friends from the States were asking, How come you didn't solve everything on this trip?'"

"Well, you know, it's only been a week!" Mr. Obama said. "These things take time and the idea is that you lay the groundwork and slowly, over time, if you make small efforts, they can add up into big efforts. And that's, I think, the approach that we want to take in promoting more peace and prosperity around the world."

Mr. Obama said over and over that he was in Europe to listen, not dictate. The subtext was that his leadership would be a sharp U-turn from that of President George W. Bush, and that he hoped putting a new stamp on U.S. foreign policy would pay dividends from more cooperative allies.

The two-day stay in Turkey, a Muslim-majority nation that straddles Europe and Asia, was a key part of that strategy. Mr. Obama hoped to refresh relations with a Muslim-world partner with whom relations became strained over the Iraq war.

"America is back," was how Emanuel put it.

There's no doubting that Mr. Obama was well-received.

The question is whether the world's problems will get any better as a result, and the answer won't be known for a while. Diplomacy is a slow process and so is changing the policy of any one nation, much less several - "moving the ship of state," as Mr. Obama likes to put it.

Also unclear: where the line will fall with the fickle American public, between excitement at having a leader who makes a big splash overseas and annoyance that that same leader is lavishing attention on the pet priorities of other parts of the world.

The previously unannounced Iraq trip was confined to the main U.S. military base there, Camp Victory. Attention from the new commander in chief proved a huge morale booster, judging from the wildly cheering audience that greeted the president at a former palace of the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

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Audio: Obama Addresses The Troops

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The president's official schedule had said he would be flying directly to Washington D.C. from Istanbul on Tuesday and made no mention of an Iraq visit. Reporters did sense that an unannounced trip was a strong possibility, however, as CBS News Producer Robert Hendin points out in a behind-the-scenes dispatch.

Although violence is down overall in Iraq from its peak, it has surged lately with a string of deadly bombings, including one in Baghdad just hours before Mr. Obama's arrival. The White House scrapped plans for the president to helicopter into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone to see Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other leaders, citing not security fears but a sand and dust storm that reduced visibility. Instead, the leaders traveled to see him at Camp Victory.

CBS News' Chip Reid, who traveled with the president (including his stop in Iraq), said the American troops meeting him in Baghdad treated him like "a rock star.

"They were all but crawling all over each other afterwards to touch him, to shake his hand, to get a picture, to get an autograph. It was an amazing reception," Reid said.

Mr. Obama met with Gen. Ray Odierno, who briefed him on the recent violence and security challenges in Iraq. Reid reports that the president was told, despite a recent rash of bombings, security incidents are now at their lowest level since the war began.

"They still believe they have a handle on things," Reid said, "although certainly it is something that they're concerned about. They hope that this is just a one-time thing, not an indication of a steady up-tick to come. General Odierno seemed to be positive that they're on track to get the troops out on the timetable the president has laid out."

Mr. Obama had a message for Americans, too. With over 4,260 lives lost and $600 billion spent, he paid heartfelt tribute to the "enormous sacrifice" made by the U.S. in Iraq.

"It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis," he said, earning the loudest applause line of his five-minute address to troops. "They need to take responsibility for their country."

"We assured the president that all the progress that was made in the security area will continue," al-Maliki said at Mr. Obama's side.

The president projected confidence in that. "We should not get distracted" by the violence, he said, arguing that "our shared commitment is greater than the obstacles."

Such an optimistic note could have come at any other point in his travels.

[spudder8]

Had Obama not been elected our problems would be zilch now he has created a credit seekink monster. What happen when no one will lend us money to function, will he be impeached and tooed out of office tarred and feathered. I just read the national debt, 38,000 plus due per person in the USA. I gather his education did not include mathematics.

[nolies74621]

Does the right wing have ANYTHING to say that makes any sense. It seems to me now that we dumped their fascist loving right wing rulers, all they can do is whine and make up stuff. The Con party is totally obsolete and I can't think of a reason they should remain in America.
Posted by noloyalisti at 12:51 PM : Apr 8, 2009

Is'nt that what the left wing liberals did for 8 years. The shoe is on the other foot now and you don't like it that people are critisizing BHO for bieng a sell out. Bow to the King, curtsy to the Queen, show your true yellow colors. Oh and by the way I am not a Republican.

[nolies74621]

This is just a nice way of saying cowardly traitor.
Posted by tyrany1 at 9:57 PM : Apr 8, 2009

BAM! Nail on the head!

[tyrany1]

Hey realnews

Check out what is happening to the gun control numbers and how much support has changed since Obama came to power!

Or how many guns have been sold since he usurped the office of President of the United States of America.

[tyrany1]

Young, handsome, level headed, hard worker, positive , peace maker , polite and excellent diplomat!!

This is just a nice way of saying cowardly traitor.

[tyrany1]

kansas1946

Its ok if you cant let your man crush go buddy!

[kansas1946]

The federal government is our enemy:

http://www.riseupforamerica.com/treasondemandsaction/ourdomesticenemy.html
Posted by weedapeapl at 4:26 PM : Apr 8, 2009
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If it didn't happen under Bush, it ain't ever going to happen!

[weedapeapl]

Obama my King Forever
Posted by dwilson59 at 5:06 PM : Apr 8, 2009

LOL! Sorry, he's already married.

Too late!

[mrzerato]

The federal government is our enemy:

http://www.riseupforamerica.com/treasondemandsaction/ourdomesticenemy.html
Posted by weedapeapl

YOu unpatriotic traitor. Going to use armed rebellion to overthrow the government of the USA. traitors

[weedapeapl]

The federal government is our enemy:

http://www.riseupforamerica.com/treasondemandsaction/ourdomesticenemy.html

[weedapeapl]

You can tell when the kids get out of school!
Posted by kansas1946 at 4:18 PM : Apr 8, 2009

Yes, that's when you show up.

[kansas1946]

Obama fell all over himself when he met the king, he couldn?t believe it was actually true.
Afterward Obama just had to have a cigarette and just hold himself.

Notice the curtsy he gave his king?
Posted by tyrany1 at 11:49 AM : Apr 8, 2009
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The level of ignorance in this country is astounding. Astounding.

[kansas1946]

Obama is the worst president in 100 years.
Posted by weedapeapl at 2:35 PM : Apr 8, 2009
+ report abuse + permalink
******************************************

LMAO. You can tell when the kids get out of school!

[weedapeapl]

Young, handsome, level headed, hard worker, positive , peace maker , polite and excellent diplomat!!
Posted by ninakaygin at 3:33 PM : Apr 8, 2009

Remember when Biden got blasted for saying Obama is "articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy?" LOL!

Shame on you for making such an "offensive" remark...

[realnews12]

The website realclearpolitics.com reports polls taken by a wide variety of organizations, including FoxNews, Rasmussen, Gallup, CBS, etc. They also report the average of the polls conducted over the most recent week or so, and even show this average as a function of time. President Obama's approval rating has been quite steady over the past 5 or 6 weeks. It is in the low 60s. The average gets rid of whatever bias might exist in polls of the individual organizations. Check it out.

[ninakaygin]

HE IS THE BEST PRESIDENT EVER!!Young, handsome, level headed, hard worker, positive , peace maker , polite and excellent diplomat!!During his visit abroad people were "crazy for him".I support sjc_1 's comments.Well done , president!!

[weedapeapl]

Obama is the worst president in 100 years.

[sjc_1]

After 8 years of "up yours" swaggering idiotic arrogance and stupidity, common sense and proper manners go a long way towards better relations. The right wing seems to think that a**hole behavior is strength. It is the weakness of a coward and a bully, trying to intimidate others through hostility. That is not respect, it is fear and loathing.

It is not weakness to talk to others. In fact, it takes bravery and courage to admit that you were wrong and work with others in a more constructive way. Right wing, say what you mean and mean what you say. If you believe that acting like a jerk is strength, say so!

[noloyalisti]

Does the right wing have ANYTHING to say that makes any sense. It seems to me now that we dumped their fascist loving right wing rulers, all they can do is whine and make up stuff. The Con party is totally obsolete and I can't think of a reason they should remain in America.

[cmp271]

America is back...does that mean we got rid of Obama???

What is this G20thing plotting against the people of this world. Why do they think they know all the answers. They live privileged lives and keep the secrets to free energy away from the people and control us, just to have wealth. Down with them. Maybe someday we will overcome this idiocy, and have a real "New World Order" without them in charge....Wake up comrade AMERICANS