Romney's foreign trip to show contrast with Obama

Mitt Romney faces challenges in convincing Americans he is the best candidate to handle foreign affairs, as a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows President Obama with an advantage over his GOP rival.

More than half of Americans, or 52%, say Obama can better handle foreign policy concerns compared with 40% who choose the presumptive Republican nominee. The numbers are closer among registered voters, who give Obama a 4-point advantage.

STORY:  Romney preferred over Obama on economy

Romney will leave Tuesday for England, Israel and Poland, which his campaign is billing as a "learn and listen" trip. He is likely to frame the foreign policy debate in his speech tomorrow to the Veterans of Foreign Wars meeting in Reno. Obama addressed the VFW today.

Jamie Fly, executive director of the Foreign Policy Initiative, a conservative think tank, told USA TODAY that the Romney trip will help bring a much-needed spotlight on issues that have not been at the forefront of the campaign.

"The American people need to remember that they're electing a commander in chief, not just someone who will fix the economy," Fly said in a telephone interview. "I'm always concerned when don't have real debate on national security in a campaign. We need to have a dialogue."

Andrea Saul, a spokeswoman for the Romney campaign, said Romney understands the difference between U.S. allies and those who pose threats.

"President Obama thinks visiting our closest ally in the Middle East is a 'distraction,' that Hugo Chavez is not a 'serious' threat and that the right response to Russia is to promise more 'flexibility' in exchange for giving him 'space' before the election," Saul said. "It is clear that President Obama's foreign policy is confused, ineffective, and has weakened our influence in every region of the world."

In advance of Romney's first campaign trip abroad, the Obama campaign held a conference call with reporters to bring attention to what it views as some of the former Massachusetts governor's shortcomings on issues in the Middle East and relations with Russia.

Romney's trip brings to mind comparisons to a similar overseas visit made four years ago by then-senator Barack Obama, who was criticized in the 2008 Democratic primary and in the general election as not being prepared to handle such crises as the war in Iraq. Since taking office, Obama can say he authorized the strike that killed Osama bin Laden and has taken steps to bring home U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan.

"The record has been very clear that since the president's election, he has been successful in revitalizing our alliances, especially in Europe, and has strengthened the U.S. leadership position globally," said Michelle Flournoy, a former undersecretary of Defense for policy.

In light of some of Obama's foreign policy achievements, some foreign policy experts say Romney has his work cut out for him during his first overseas trip of this campaign.

"Romney's main line of attack is 'I'm Mr. Tough Guy, and I understand how to wield American power,' and he's attempted to portray Obama as less forceful on questions of American diplomacy," said Charles Kupchan, a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"The problem is that's not where the American public is," Kupchan said. "The Obama administration generally gets high marks on security, and Obama has turned around the landscape where Democrats are seen as weaker on national security and Republicans are stronger."

Romney will head first to England, where he'll meet Thursday with Prime Minister David Cameron and other officials and attend the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in London on Friday. He plans to hold an event to tap American expatriates for campaign funds.

He then will travel to Israel for meetings Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Palestinian Authority Primary Minister Salam Fayyad and other leaders. He'll make a speech about Middle East policy.

Romney has been critical of Obama's handling of the U.S. relationship with Israel and of the administration's efforts to curb Iran's development of nuclear weapons.

Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Clinton administration, said in a telephone interview that Romney may get some traction with Jewish voters in the USA if he makes a "more emotional appeal that he's going to put his arms around Israel and shower it with affection," compared with Obama.

The president has not visited Israel since taking office. Colin Kahl, a former top Obama aide on the Middle East, said Obama is likely to visit Israel if he wins a second term.

Romney's Jerusalem visit may not make much of a dent, Indyk noted, since few Jewish voters cast a ballot solely based on where candidates stand on Israel. In 2008, Obama won 78% of the Jewish vote.

Romney will cap his trip abroad with a visit to Poland next week at the invitation of former president Lech Walesa. He'll meet with President Bronislaw Komorowski and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

The Poland visit will give Romney a chance to discuss U.S. relations with Russia. The Republican was criticized by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev for calling Russia the "No. 1 geopolitical foe" of the United States.

The trip to Poland could help Romney with Polish voters in swing states in the Midwest, such as Ohio, Kupchan and Indyk say.

The USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,030 adults was taken Thursday through Sunday. It has a margin of error of +/-4 percentage points. There were 914 registered voters surveyed, with the same margin of error in that sample.