Monday, November 5, 2012

Oh, The Places He's Been - An FP Slideshow

In the first year of his presidency, Barack Obama traveled to more countries than any other president in his first year in office; all told, he has has visited more than 47 countries in the last four years. Besides putting more miles on Air Force One, these trips have offered Obama a chance to do everything from meeting with world leaders to fulfilling campaign promises to picking up a controversial Nobel Peace Prize.

Even before his first bid for the presidency, Obama has been engaged with the world beyond America's borders. In 2008, he made a campaign stop in Berlin that drews hundreds of thousands, during which he called himself a "fellow citizen of the world." He emphasized during his campaign that he was ready to meet with friend and foe alike, saying that "strong countries and strong presidents meet and talk with our adversaries." Once in office, he gave a high-profile speech in Cairo promising a "new beginning" between Muslims and the United States.

Critics, including Republican nominee Mitt Romney, have accused the president of taking an "an apology tour." He has also caught flak for giving an iPod to Britain's Queen Elizabeth and for telling then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in an exchange that he though was private, that he would have "more flexibility" after this year's presidential election.

So is this the end for Number 44? On the eve -- finally -- of the 2012 election, here's a look back at the president's jet-setting ways, from Brazil to Iraq and many, many places in between.

Above, the president and his family greet Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota at the Palacio do Alvorada in Brasilia, Brazil, on March 19, 2011. It was the president's first visit to South America.

White House/Pete Souza



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