On Sunday, he visited Afghanistan and had a heart-to-heart with President Hamid Karzai. Obama and two other senators traveling with him — Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. and Jack Reed, D-R.I. — talked for nearly two hours with Karzai about issues concerning the U.S. and Afghanistan.

The senators reaffirmed their bipartisan support for Afghanistan and stressed the importance of continuing the war against terrorism. The two parties also discussed the need for better cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the U.S. and Pakistan since terrorism affects each country.

The visits are part of a weeklong tour that will take him to Iraq, Israel and Western Europe in an effort to erase doubts people have about his abilities to handle things during a time of war.

Prior to his trip to Iraq, Obama had plans to pull troops out of Iraq. Since his visit to Afghanistan, Obama wants to approach the war in Iraq by shifting troops from Iraq to Afghanistan.

It might seem both presidential candidates have been doing some flip-flopping these days, but they might just be revising their strategies.

After receiving flack from conservatives that he doesn’t do the conservative role justice, supporters have seen Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., make some adjustments. Now, Obama has done an almost complete 180-degree turn on his views about the war in Iraq.

The difference between the two candidates is that Obama seems to be making changes he thinks are best for the country whereas McCain might be revising his ideas to please his supporters.

Of course there is speculation that Obama’s only purpose of this trip is to pay lip service to those directly affected by the war. McCain even called the trip a “campaign rally overseas” and suggested that Obama wouldn’t keep an open mind while in the Middle East. Contrary to what McCain and others have said, Obama looks as though he’ll emerge from this experience with a better understanding of the war and what needs to be done to help the Middle East.

By any means, this trip is a very smart move by Obama. It can mold him into a more well-rounded candidate and makes him more attractive to moderates. If people are on the fence about who to vote for, the transformation Obama undergoes during this trip might sway some voters in his direction.

McCain might always have an advantage over Obama when it comes to understanding the war firsthand, but what matters is that Obama is making an effort to better understand what is needed to assess the situation correctly.