Obama's buzz hits Amman

Jordan is not a swing state in a White House campaign but surely it looks like it today. US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama had a news conference at the Amman Citadel, an ancient Roman landmark, in Amman. He also had a long meeting with the King who offered an impressive unprecedented welcome to a presidential candidate ever. According to the Associated Press,the king had cut short a trip to Aspen, Colo., especially to fly back to the palace. And that it was the Jordanians who had requested a one-on-one meeting between the king and Obama before they are joined for dinner by Reed, Hagel and others.

Apparently the King who has an unmistakable political intuition believes somehow that Obama is going to be living in the White House for the next 8 years and he wanted to build a working relationship with him. Two things that come to mind here. First, Jordan apparently is becoming more important to the American policymakers regardless of their political orientation or party affiliation. John McCain the presumptive Republican nominee made a similar trip last month to Amman and met with the King as well. Second, Jordan is positioning itself as an asset to both parties. On one hand, Jordan is increasingly becoming a keystone player on the national security front to the US and its war against terrorism; a value that Republicans embrace. On the other hand, Jordan continued to play the diplomacy card with its relationship with different regional players in the Middle East such as Israel, Syria, Saudi Arabia as well as Iran; a value that held dearly by the democrates.

In political terms, Obama's- trip is designed in part to boost Obama's image inside the United State. With all of that it is a good trip for Jordan for the above mentioned reasons.