USA TODAY: President Barack Obama will cut short his three-day trip to India to travel to Saudi Arabia to pay respects following the death of King Abdullah, U.S. and Indian officials said Saturday, hours before the U.S. president was to depart for New Delhi.
The schedule change means Obama will skip plans to visit the Taj Mahal, the white marble monument of love. Pradeep Bhatnagar, a top state official based in the city of Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located, said U.S. security officials informed him of the cancellation Saturday.
However, the more substantive portions of Obama’s trip to India appeared unlikely to be impacted by his decision to travel to Saudi Arabia. The president was due to arrive in India Sunday for meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then attend Monday’s annual Republic Day festivities, which mark the day in 1950 that India’s constitution came into force… (more)
EDITOR: We surmised the President’s trip has little to do with the past and much to do with the future.
