Foreign Travel by 2008 Democratic Presidential Prospects in 2005
January 2006-Overseas travel can broaden and deepen a potential candidate's understanding of the world.  There is nothing like being on the ground, seeing conditions first hand, and talking to the local people.  Senators and congressmen travel overseas as part of congressional
delegations (CODELs), on informational visits, to attend conferences or deliver speeches.  For governors the purpose is often a trade missions.  Those in the private sector have business and other interests that may prompt overseas trips.  Looking at the five Democratic Senators frequently mentioned as possible 2008 presidential candidates, all have committee assignments tied to international affairs and national security.  Sens. Biden, Kerry and Feingold serve on the Foreign Relations Committee, while Sen. Bayh is a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Clinton is a member of the Armed Services Committee.  Except for Sen. Bayh, each of these Senators made at least one trip to Iraq in 2005.  The three Democratic Governors seen as possible 2008 candidates all went on a trade missions in 2005; Asian destinations were preferred.  Gen. Clark and Sen. Edwards also made several overseas trips.

BAYH
late Aug.  Aspen Institute conference on "U.S.-Russia-Europe: Cooperative Efforts" in IRELAND.
 

BIDEN
Jan. 7-10  ISRAEL, U.S. Mission to observe the Palestinian Elections accompanied by Sen. Sununu.
Jan. 26-31  World Economic Forum in Davos, SWITZERLAND; meetings with officials in Paris, FRANCE.
May 26-June 1  Informational visit to JORDAN, IRAQ, CHAD, and LEBANON.
Aug. 31-Sept. 4  Sept. 2-4 Ambrosetti workshop "Business strategies: the scenario for today and tomorrow" at Villa d'Este in Cernobbio, ITALY; Intel 2k5 in conjunction with McCain codel.
Dec. 12-17  Informational visits to IRAQ (observing parliamentary elections), ISRAEL, JORDAN, KUWAIT and QUATAR with Sens. Graham, Cantwell and Chambliss.
 

CLARK  (Note.  List compiled from news sources and likely not complete.  Clark spokesperson: "General Clark is not a public official and most of his travel and activities are related to his business development.  I do not track it, nor do we comment on it.")
late January  World Economic Forum in Davos, SWITZERLAND.
March 13-17  United States Institute of Peace Task Force on the United Nations trip to HAITI.
March 30  Speaks at the 5th Doha Forum on Democracy and Free Trade in Doha, QATAR.
weekend of April 23-24  Speaks at the fourth Eurasian Media Forum (also on April 23 meets with President Nursultan Nazarbayev) in Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN.
Sept. 2-4  Ambrosetti workshop at Villa d'Este in Cernobbio, ITALY.
week of Sept. 27-Oct. 1  Speaks at the general assembly of the Atlantic Treaty Association (also on Sept. 30 meets with Estonian President Arnold Ruutel and ex-President Lennart Meri) in Tallinn, ESTONIA.
Dec. 1  Chairs panel on "New Dimensions of Gulf Security" atState of Qatar/NATO/RAND Conference "NATO's Role In Gulf Security" in Doha, QATAR.
 

CLINTON  (Note.  Office non-responsive; list may not be complete.)
Feb. 11-13  Feb. 11 Delegation led by Sen. McCain and with Sens. Clinton and Graham and six House members holds discussions with President Victor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Julia Tymoshenko and Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Lytvynin in Kiev, UKRAINE.  Feb. 12  ???  Feb. 13 Speaks on a "More Secure World: The Future Role of the United Nations" at the 41st Munich Conference on Security Policy at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, GERMANY; speech upon receiving the 2004 German Media Prize, presented by the market research firm Media Control for "being a role model in strengthening the role of women in politics, society and the media" in Baden-Baden, GERMANY.
Feb. 17-24  Codel to IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN and TUNISIA to observe the U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and to meet with leaders (delegation led by Sen. McCain and with Sens. Feingold, Collins and Graham).
Nov. 12-14  ISRAEL (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Giro to view the security fence, various meetings) including a side trip to JORDAN (Amman) Nov. 13.
 

EDWARDS
May 24-26  GREAT BRITAIN (London) meets with Prime Minister Tony Blair and with Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and delivers speech at the London School of Economics.
Sept. 21-24 RUSSIA (Moscow) with Jack Kemp as co-chairs of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on Russian-American Relations.
Nov. 15-18  INDIA (New Delhi), part of his focus on poverty.
 

FEINGOLD
Jan. 9-16  ALGERIA, CHAD and MALI for meetings with government, religious, and humanitarian leaders to discuss everything from counter-terrorism to human rights to ways the U.S. can reach out to that part of the world.  (Feingold is Ranking Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa).
Feb. 17-24  Codel to IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN and TUNISIA to observe the U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and to meet with leaders (delegation led by Sen. McCain and with Sens. Clinton, Collins and Graham).
 

KERRY
Jan. 2-15  JORDAN, IRAQ, SYRIA, KUWAIT, EGYPT and ENGLAND (London, meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair).
April 8  Part of a 14-member U.S. Senate delegation to the funeral of Pope John Paul II in VATICAN CITY.
Aug. 30-Sept. 2  Codel to IRAQ with Sens. Stevens and Warner.
 

RICHARDSON
June 25-29  Four-day trade mission to FRANCE (Paris) and GERMANY (Berlin).  Followed by vacation in Europe through July 4.
July 25-27 Trade mission to JAPAN.  Meetings in Tokyo on July 25-26, and leading delegation to the U.S. Pavilion at World EXPO 2005, the world’s fair in Nagoya, on July 27 "New Mexico Day."
Oct. 17-22  Oct. 17-20 Unofficial but State Department-sanctioned talks with senior officials in NORTH KOREA about that country's nuclear program.  Meetings in JAPAN (Tokyo) on Oct. 21 and in KOREA (Seoul) on Oct. 22.  (Richardson left New Mexico on Oct. 15 and returned on Oct. 22.  This was his fifth visit to North Korea.  According to his press release, no state funds were spent on the trip.  The New Mexico Community Foundation served as a fiscal sponsor and he traveled on a USAF plane provided by the Bush Administration).
 

VILSACK
May 23-June 1  Trade mission to SOUTH KOREA (Seoul) May 24-28 and CHINA May 28-30 (Beijing on May 28; Shijiazhuang, Hebei province on May 29-30; and Beijing on May 30).  (Hebei Province is a Sister State of Iowa).
 

WARNER
April 16-23  Trade mission to JAPAN (Osaka, Nagoya, Hamamatsu, and Tokyo).
April 23-29  Trade mission to INDIA (New Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai (Bombay)).
 
 
 
Copyright © 2006  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action