Eyeing foreign policy as a huge vulnerability for Democrats, prospective GOP candidates have been traveling abroad as they gear up for a potential White House run against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Some of the most prominently discussed Republican contenders are governors or former governors with relatively little foreign policy experience, and many are heading overseas and boning up on international affairs.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is in Britain, where he attended a soccer match Sunday in frigid Emirates Stadium ahead of official meetings starting Monday. During his trip, Christie will meet Prime Minister David Cameron and other officials and take in cultural events as well, including a rehearsal of William Shakespeare's "Henry V,"
The Washington Post reported.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has traveled overseas repeatedly since his unsuccessful White House run in 2012, including visits last year to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and to Japan and China.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal traveled to Britain last month, drawing heavy fire from the left for comments he made criticizing "no-go" zones for non-Muslims in some parts of Europe.
Prospective candidates have also headed to Israel, among them Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who visited Jerusalem on Christmas and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is leading a tour to Israel later this month, the Post reported. Guests who pay the $5,250 a person cost can join the former Fox News Channel host for tours of Holy Land sites and meetings with senior Israeli officials.
One prospective Republican candidate with foreign policy expertise is Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida.
Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has taken scores of trips abroad and has emerged as a Republican leader in pressing the case against President Barack Obama's decision to normalize relations with the communist regime in Cuba and his handling of nuclear talks with Iran.
While many Republicans believe the party should turn to a governor as its standard-bearer, Rubio contends that his national security experience in the Senate is even more important than an executive background.
"You can’t have middle-class property if your national security is threatened," the senator said last month.
The next president, Rubio said, needs to have "a clear view of what's happening in the world, a clear strategic vision of America's role in it, and a clear tactical plan for how to engage America in global affairs."
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