The next president: Newt says start with a foreign listening tour

Tip to shadoweyes for the story in Foreign Policy referenc Newt Gingrich, former leader of the Republican Contract for America and now political statesman. The former Speaker has a good thought on the first job of the next president:

As soon as the new president is elected, he or she should immediately embark on a series of pre-inauguration visits to capitals around the world: not just London, Paris, and Jerusalem, but Ankara, Amman, Beijing, and Cairo. In the span of several weeks, the president should make dozens of stops in Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia. During these visits, not one moment needs to be spent trying to prove or demonstrate American power and dominance. Instead, the president-elect should simply listen. There should be no formal agenda, only questions. How do these other leaders think the United States can be most effective with its economic, military, and cultural might? And in turn, how do they propose to help achieve mutual goals during the next four years?

I was never much for Newt's domestic policy, but that's some very intelligent ideas about helping build American soft power and diffusing some of the sources of foreign terrorism.

Overall, Obama and Clinton have voted much the same

While they may try to draw sharp distinctions to help Democratic voters decide, Senators Clinton and Obama are more alike than they care to admit.