Obama goes to Europe

The President will attend three high-profile events; the meeting of G 20 Wednesday evening in London, a weekend NATO meeting and an EU-U.S. summit in Prague on Sunday. According to reports Obama will finish up the Europe trip by visiting Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey. He is set to tour the classic Byzantine church Hagia Sophia and the national Sultan Ahmed Mosque, wooing the Muslim world.

Home in Washington D.C., Obama is preparing his budget, including three major pillars. The first is a big federal investment in alternative energy sources. The second is a major education-push in rewarding teachers, improving schools and helping pay for college. And the third is to put billions of dollars into spreading health coverage. The budget is a new phase in the big stimulus package, which has been met with some resistance in Europe. But Obama is optimistic. “It's more than just a budget; it's a blueprint for our economic future. It's a vision of what the Democratic Party stands for that boldly makes the choices we as a nation have been putting off for too long”, he said.

On his Europe trip, President Obama will meet leaders from 40 countries. In Europe, Obama enjoys a huge support. "Everybody's jockeying to be seen by his side," said a NATO representative. "People are squabbling to be in the camera shot with him and be seated next to him."

Click here to go to our US Politics Archive