Barack Obama strode onto the world stage on Tuesday with trademark audacity, or as his political enemies would have it, a dearth of humility, in the symbolic shadow of Jordan's Temple of Hercules.
As he tries to convince Americans he will keep them safe, the White House hopeful held his first major press conference abroad as presumptive Democratic nominee near ancient Roman ruins and a shrine to the mighty Greek mythic hero.
Overlooking sun-bleached homes and minarets of the Jordanian capital, Obama spoke about his stealth mission to Iraq, against a backdrop seemingly chosen to suggest a young dynamic potential president, at home and abroad.
It was another example of the Obama campaign's flair for political imagery, and a world away from frigid icebound Iowa, or hard-knocks schools in rustbelt towns in Ohio where presidential candidates usually hang out.
After knocking the dust of Iraq off his boots, Obama swapped his khakis and flak jacket for a suit and red tie.
The show was designed to draw a blanket television audience back home, as part of a tour that has ignited a media frenzy, despite Republican claims it is a shallow political stunt.
Later, Obama, wearing a US-Jordan
lapel pin, enjoyed a one-on-one chat and dinner with
King Abdullah II.
They seemed to hit it off, as Obama grabbed another photo-op and the King drove him personally to his shining new campaign jet in a gleaming Mercedes 600.
Obama's press conference, the first public appearance of his tour, took place at the Amman Citadel and the Temple of Hercules, where human settlements date back to the bronze age.
The temple's terrace dates to 161 to 180 AD, and overlooks a complex of period Roman ruins, including an ampitheatre, an Odeon and Nymphaeum. The symbolism seemed to convince one local journalist, who yelled "
Mr President" to get her voice heard.
