Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday discussed his recent eight-day trip overseas, calling for more troops in Afghanistan and urging the Iraqi government to take on a greater role in managing the country.

Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, spoke at a conference for minority journalists in Chicago.

“Our troops are doing extraordinarily well,” Obama said, “and they do it day in and day out.”

The current cover of the New Yorker magazine, featuring a drawing of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and his wife Michelle implying they are terrorists, has brought a storm of controversy that extends beyond the Hudson River.