Obama: The GQ candidate who carries a hint of JFK

HE OWNS five suits, four pairs of shoes, favours the neatly rolled- up sleeve and has been described as the candidate from GQ.

Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate and new darling of an international fashion designer, is this week touring the Middle East and Europe offering a change of political ideology as well as a sharp new look.

While Mr Obama may have politely tried on a Stetson on a campaign stop, the Democratic hopeful's personal style is a few wardrobes away from George Bush's personal penchant for big hats, cowboy boots and the frontier rhetoric of "wanted: dead or alive".

The dark and stylish two-button suits, striped tie and crisp white shirt has an elegance that has made designers' swoon and critics gripe.

Donatella Versace dedicated a recent menswear collection in Milan to the candidate, saying the clothes were for "a relaxed man who does not need to flex his muscles to show he has power."

The focus on his sense of style and the subsequent accusations of elitism forced Mr Obama on the defensive, insisting his wardrobe is surprisingly sparse.

When a reporter in Indiana accused him of being the GQ candidate, Mr Obama responded: "I think this is a fairly standard suit here. I haven't changed my approach to dressing too much… I basically buy five of the same suit, and then I patch them up and wear them repeatedly." He went on to explain: "I have four pairs of shoes." All, it would appear, smart black brogues.

Constance White, the style director of eBay, said of him: "Despite anything Barack might say, he looks like a quintessential metrosexual. It's part of his appeal to youth. It's consistent with his message."

There are those who read the stitching in Mr Obama's tailoring like runes and believe he is trying to project an image of relaxed, but stylish confidence, in direct contrast to President Bush's image as a hapless cowboy-in-chief.

Peter York, the cultural commentator, said: "He looks fabulous. He is tall and thin and the dark suits, the stripe ties and white shirts, although they are the classic outfit of the Washington establishment, he adds something more to it. He adds his natural grace, his deportment. He is one of nature's gentlemen."

Mr York, the author of the Sloane Ranger's Handbook, said Mr Obama is a very superior person. "That cuts both ways, people like me like that sort of thing, but others will get resentful."

The more casual style such as the jeans and polo shirts, in which he is often seen, may be viewed by some as unfashionable, but apparently serves his image as a serious politician. Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys, an American department store chain, said: "I like my politicians in goofy weekend attire. It means they're thinking about more important stuff."

A sense of style has often been noted in American political campaigns. John F Kennedy set his image as a dynamic politician looking to the future by refusing to wear a hat as was the style of the day. At campaign stops, he frequently received them but refused to wear them.

John Davidson, a fashion writer, sees the style of JFK echoed in Mr Obama. "He's well-groomed, his suits are immaculate, but the clever thing is, it doesn't look overbearing. He uses it to project the image that he is urbane, educated and successful. I'm sure a lot of work has gone into his image, but the secret is that it doesn't look as considered as it really is."

JFK was partial to the fine tailoring of a suit from Savile Row in London. His successor, Lyndon Johnston followed suit, as it were, also ordering from London. Mr Obama will arrive in London this week. It is not known if he plans to shop.

Iraqi hopes raised on meeting Obama

BARACK Obama met the Iraqi prime minister and US troops yesterday at the start of a major foreign tour. It was the Democratic candidate's first visit to Iraq in almost three years, and only his second ever, but the Iraqi government suggested it shared the Illinois senator's hope that US combat forces could leave the country by 2010.

Mr Obama held talks with the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, yesterday after calling for a withdrawal of US troops within 16 months of taking office in a key foreign policy speech last week.

Iraq's government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, said: "We are hoping that in 2010 combat troops will withdraw from Iraq."

But he did not endorse a fixed date and added that any withdrawal plan was subject to change if the level of violence escalated.

Mr Obama made no public statements following the talks with Mr Maliki and the president, Jalal Talabani, in Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone.

Earlier in the day, Mr Obama arrived in Basra, the centre for about 4,000 British troops involved mostly in training Iraqi forces, before travelling to Baghdad.

The 46-year-old senator will also meet US military commanders who will outline recent progress in the war he has opposed from the start.

Mr Obama's visit to Iraq was part of a foreign tour designed to gather information while burnishing the Democratic contender's foreign policy credentials.

Polls in the US have repeatedly shown that Mr Obama trails his Republican rival John McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, on national security issues.