Consider this a big fat trial ballon, or maybe a leak... we'll know soon enough.
Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is to fly to Britain next month as part of an ambitious foreign trip that will also take him to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as to France and Germany.
This seems like a safe enough trip, though I think Barack may do better visiting Italy, one of the Coalition of the Willing and home to the Catholic religion... if this is a trial ballon... drop France, add Rome Please.
More details below
Only skeleton details of Mr Obama's trip have been agreed but an announcement of an outline programme is expected over the weekend.
"You will be hearing something very soon," a senior Obama aide told The Telegraph.
During Mr Obama's visit to Britain, likely to take place around the middle of July, he will call on Gordon Brown and, if time permits, David Cameron, the Conservative leader.
Obama is also considering international fundraisers similar to what McCain has been doing regularly, for American's abroad. Some back story
President Nicolas Sarkozy has already invited Mr Obama to visit the Elysee Palace and Downing Street aides are understood to be pushing for him to stop in London before Paris as a signal that he considers Britain to be America's pre-eminent ally.
I like the trip, just not crazy about France... I think either Italy or maybe even Japan would have been better.
Also, I think July isn't a great time to do this. Taking a week out when you should be fundraising isn't quite as smart as August, when you could have broken through the Olympics induced Political Slumber with photo ops in Europe and the war zones.
UPDATE: Ok, Ok, France is fine, for several reasons, like this, and this and this... my bad... though my point about August stays and my reference to Italy was more about the perception and Pope than anything else... good points all around