Barack Obama canceled a visit to wounded US troops in Germany today, apparently because he wouldn’t be allowed to use the trip as campaign publicity: What’s not on Obama’s schedule...

A U.S. military official tells NBC News they were making preparations for Sen. Barack Obama to visit wounded troops at the Landstuhl Medical Center at Ramstein, Germany on Friday, but “for some reason the visit was called off.”

One military official who was working on the Obama visit said because political candidates are prohibited from using military installations as campaign backdrops, Obama’s representatives were told, “he could only bring two or three of his Senate staff member, no campaign officials or workers.”  In addition, “Obama could not bring any media.  Only military photographers would be permitted to record Obama’s visit.”

The official said “We didn’t know why” the request to visit the wounded troops was withdrawn.  “He (Obama) was more than welcome.  We were all ready for him.”