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I think I've been suffering from "Bush fatigue" for nearly eight years now. I suppose I did get a little something out of it - the buffoonery and jaw-droppingly ignorant ballsiness of Bush gave rise to some of my favorite modern voices - Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Lewis Black, Keith Olbermann, Bill Maher and many others may not have hit anywhere as hard without my least favorite Texan.

But, to say the least I am thrilled to see go the man who told the Pope his speech was "awesome", who gave Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel that insanely cringe-inducing shoulder rub and who recently told his fellow G-8 leaders (with a very weird smile) "goodbye from the world's largest polluter!" The man said so many strange, weird things to leaders around the world that it's kind of amazing that the clowns aren't brought out immediately at his arrival once he steps foot on foreign soil.

So after eight years of borderline insanity to see Obama overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq looking like an intellectual who has his ears open provides a study in contrast that my brain almost doesn't know how to process. You bet it's a photo op (one that McCain basically forced Obama to do). And sure, he has some of the more difficult days of his trip ahead of him - but if they're anything like the last few days have been he'll be just a few steps closer to his big day on January 20th. I guess we can also thank Bush for that.

With the troops in Kuwait

With the Emir of Kuwait

With President Karzai in Afghanistan

With General Petraeus and Senator Hagel flying over Baghdad

Meeting with Iraqi PM Maliki

Leaving Maliki's office with Iraq's Government Spokesman and its National Security Director

More photos and video here. Includes video of Obama talking with troops stationed in Kuwait, and hitting some threes on the court.

Oh, and by the way - want one of those Barack Chalk Jayhawk T-Shirts? Too bad.