After a week filled with a health care reform victory, President Obama heads overseas in hopes of extending that winning streak. Mr. Obama leaves Thursday for Asia in hopes of salvaging some U.S. face in the region.
The Associated Press calls Mr. Obama's nine-day, four country tour a "salvage mission." He'll leave Thursday with plans to visit Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea. On the way to Tokyo, he'll stop at Elmendorf Air Base in Alaska to visit troops.
Mr. Obama's trip comes at a time when American dominance has begun to wane in the region. China's superpower status, achieved in less than a generation, has challenged the U.S. long-standing role.
He is expected to deliver a message of commitment to old U.S. trading partners at a time when they are looking to China for new markets.
The muscular China and a weaker U.S. financial position have ushered in an era where American goods are not the most sought after products on the block. Asian nations, like Japan, are looking elsewhere to trade and Mr. Obama needs to assure them of the U.S. commitment to a stable and prosperous region.
