I just saw Dan Abrams and his guests skewering Obama for making reference to his experiences in Pakistan during a college trip in the context of a discussion regarding foreign policy credentials. Abrams had a cute little riff about whether or not he could point to his own college/party trip to Greece to beef up his diplomatic credentials.
I suppose Abrams and his guests were trying to suggest that visiting a foreign country on a "fact-finding" junket is actually more informative than Obama’s non-governmental travel experience. I propose that the truth is just the opposite. For instance, McCain has been to Iraq several times and is thus far unable to differentiate between the Sunni and Shia sects.
Furthermore, high-level politicians traveling abroad are much more likely to spend their time in a bubble. Consider, for instance, the image of McCain’s walk through the Baghdad market, surrounded by a swat team and Apache attack helicopters. Does McCain know what it’s like to shop in an Iraqi market? Hardly. Obama is much more likely to have met ordinary Pakistanis during his trip in college than virtually any other candidate. Moreover, it suggests an intellectual curiosity that would be a refreshing change for the executive branch.