Election 2008
(2008-05-29)
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama speaks during a discussion on protecting home ownership at the College of Southern Nevada
Barack Obama is considering his first visit to Iraq since becoming a presidential candidate.
Revealing his plans to The New York Times, he declined John McCain's offer of a joint trip saying he doesn't "want to be involved in a political stunt."
Obama says the trip would be to talk with troops and commanders and not "to try to score political points."
Obama's campaign has been considering an overseas trip since last year to beef up his foreign policy credentials. But the extended fight for the Democratic nomination with Hillary Rodham Clinton has delayed those plans.
Meanwhile, the GOP has launched an online clock to count the days since the Democratic candidate last visited Iraq in 2006.
© Copyright 2012, Associated Press
