Jul 19, 2008 9:04 pm US/Central
Soldiers Overjoyed To Meet Obama In Kuwait
Obama Makes Stop On Way To Afghanistan In Whirlwind Tour Of Middle East, Europe
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Sen. Barack Obama greets overjoyed soldiers at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
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A soldier cheers as Obama arrives.
CBS
A group soldiers serving overseas, including some from the Chicago area, were overjoyed Saturday when presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama visited in Kuwait.
As CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports, Obama stopped in at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait before making his first trip to Afghanistan. Camp Arifjan is a major gateway for U.S. soldiers moving into and out of Iraq.
The soldiers applauded thunderously when Obama arrived; one of them could barely contain herself as she sported a Chi-town sign.
When the cheers settled down, the first thing Obama said to the soldiers was, "Thank you."
"I am so grateful to all of you," Obama said.
Obama also talked briefly about military strategy.
"In speaking to commanding officers here, what's clear is we've really perfected a lot of systems to move equipment, supplies and obviously troops in and out of Iraq, as well as some of the work that's being done to coordinate our activities in Afghanistan," he said.
Obama also impressed the soldiers with his basketball strategy on the court. He joked to those watching, "You came out here because you wanted to see me get beat by your fellow soldiers."
and he took time to do a lot of hand shaking before moving on to his next stop.
In Afghanistan, Obama was officially part of a congressional delegation on a fact-finding tour expected to take him to Iraq. But he traveled Saturday amid the publicity and scrutiny accorded a likely Democratic nominee for president rather than a senator from Illinois. Security was tight and media access to Obama was limited by his campaign, and his itinerary in the war zones was a closely guarded secret.
Obama and others in the delegation received a briefing inside the U.S. base in Jalalabad from the Afghan provincial governor of Nangarhar, Gul Agha Sherzai, a no-nonsense, bullish former warlord.
"Obama promised us that if he becomes a president in the future, he will support and help Afghanistan not only in its security sector but also in reconstruction, development and economic sector," Sherzai told The Associated Press.
The area where the meeting took place is not far from where Osama bin Laden escaped U.S. troops in 2001 after his al-Qaida terrorist group led the attacks on Sept. 11. With the ousted Taliban regime resurgent and given the al-Qaida goal of terrorizing the U.S., Obama has argued that the war in Afghanistan deserves more attention as well as more troops.
Obama's first overseas tour since securing the Democratic nomination — he is scheduled to travel to Europe through next week — could be key to honing his foreign policy strategy with less than four months before the election. His rival for the presidency, Republican Sen. John McCain, has criticized Obama for not spending more time in the region and for developing a policy without more firsthand knowledge.
In that vein, Obama was expected to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday.
Obama plans to visit Iraq next, for the second time. Afterward, he will stop in Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
CBS 2's Susan Carlson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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