THE OBAMA REPORT
By Kevin Chappell

Editor's Note: When Senator Barack Obama announced his plans to travel to Europe and the Middle East, U.S. news organizations began jockeying for one (or a few) of the coveted "embed" spots available. Johnson Publishing was the Black media organization invited along. For the duration of Obama's trip, EBONY Senior Editor Kevin Chappell and staff photographer Valerie Goodloe will be posting daily reports from their time spent traveling with the senator and his delegation. Check back daily for their exclusive perspective.

Sunday:  AIR OBAMA

Historic. That’s the way Sen. Barack Obama’s overseas tour of the Middle East and Europe has been described.

The journey began Sunday night at Chicago’s Midway Airport. The traveling press corps boarded Obama’s newly redesigned 757. Destination: Amman, Jordan. Flying time is 14 hours, including a stopover in Shannon, Ireland, to refuel.

It’s the first flight for “Air Obama” (my term, not his), Obama’s refurbished airplane, now painted all white with the slogan “Change You Can Believe In” emblazoned across the side, along with the campaign’s web address

Launch Slide Show! 

Inside the aircraft, Obama staffers can now enjoy fully reclining seats complete with footrests. While reporters and photographers were greeted on the airplane with wine and cheese, they continue to be confined to the coach-style seats in the rear of the airplane.

The regular travelers on the Obama campaign have been anticipating the new digs for quite some time. Plans to redo the plane have been in the works ever since Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee. As reported throughout last week, the plane was loaded with heavy-hitters, top political journalists from every major newspaper, magazine and broadcast outfit. CNN’s Candi Crowley is sitting two rows in front of me, while Fox News’ Major Garrett is one row ahead.

They feed you well on these charter flights. And it’s always good to exchange stories from the campaign trail with fellow reporters. The anticipation is building. What will happen in Jordan, Jerusalem, Germany, France and England? There’s already talk of Obama-mania sweeping through Europe with crowds expected in the tens of thousands.

How will the world react to Obama? Will they fall in love with him as much of America has? Can he make it through perhaps his most challenging week since announcing his candidacy for president without any major flubs? Can he look presidential? Can a Black man look presidential?

These questions will be answered in the days to come. I think he will be just fine. Any African-American able to successfully maneuver the treacherous American political system to become the nominee of a major party, should be able to handle an international audience with ease.

MONDAY:  TAKING THE HEAT

It’s 14 hours later. Not much sleep, but I can’t think about that now. As we land in Amman Jordan, it is quickly obvious that we are in the middle of the desert. The pilot announces that the temperature is a dry 97 degrees.

Farah Barakap, a Jordanian-born student enrolled in college in England, greets us as we exit the airplane with red velvet cupcakes with icing of the American flag. She says that she is a part of the welcoming committee.

We are hustled off the airplane and onto shuttle buses which will take us to The Four Seasons Hotel. As we travel down a two-lane road, neighborhoods can be seen in the distance. Amman is a dusty city. No grass. A tree here and there. Mountains all around. Further in, we pass a KFC and a Hardee’s, which briefly makes you think you’re on Route 66, not thousands of miles across the ocean.

As we arrive at the hotel, we are briefed about our schedule tomorrow. Obama will arrive and has several events planned, including a public speech and a meeting with King Abdullah II.  Stay tuned.

Kevin Chappell is Senior Editor for EBONY magazine.

Photos by Valerie Goodloe