Mitt On The Road

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is trying to burnish his foreign policy cred with a trip to the Middle East this week.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney left Friday for a one-week trip to Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Romney senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told CNN Romney had meetings scheduled with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

"The purpose of the trip is not to conduct private diplomacy, but to give Governor Romney a first-hand look at what is happening in an important region of the world," Fehrnstrom said in a statement.

The trip is paid for by a combination of private sources including the International Republican Institute and the American Israel Education Foundation.

Pretty clear Romney is trying to set himself up as the "sensible candidate" heading into the 2011 primary season.  Can you imagine Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann doing something like this?  It would be a disaster, although to be fair to both of them it would be badly needed experience in foreign policy.

Still, the smart 2012 money remains on Mittens, and it seems people are spending that smart money now as an investment later.  You don't just magically get a trip to meet the leaders of Jordan, Afghanistan and Israel from a cereal box.

Smart move.