A Bold Vision for US Foreign Policy

Senator Obama gave a compelling speech on how the war in Iraq has distorted America’s foreign policy, cost it thousands of lives, tarnished its image and emptied its treasury. The Senator then pledged that he would swiftly end the war and reorient America’s approach to the world to address the challenges of terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change and energy dependence.

In his remarks, Sen. Obama said that he would look beyond the immediate crisis in Iraq.

“As President, I will pursue a tough, smart and principled national security strategy — one that recognizes that we have interests beyond Baghdad, in Kandahar and Karachi, in Tokyo and London, in Beijing and Berlin,”

“I will focus this strategy on five goals essential to making America safer: ending the war in Iraq responsibly; finishing the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban; securing all nuclear weapons and materials from terrorists and rogue states; achieving true energy security; and rebuilding our alliances to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

What a breath of fresh air. Listening to McCain speak, it sometimes seems as though America's foreign policy jargon is limited to three words: Terrorism, Iran and Bomb.

Here's Sen. Obama's 38-minute speech: