Richard Tafoya
Jun 18th, 2008, 09:57 PM
LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-campaign19-2008jun19,0,1807606.story
Armed with new polls that show him running ahead of his Republican presidential rival in three battleground states, Democrat Barack Obama today turned his attention to foreign policy issues.
Obama met with his new senior working group on national security, advisors who include former secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Warren Christopher, and former Defense Secretary William Perry, who worked for President Clinton and advised Hillary Rodham Clinton during her campaign.
"We continue to face grave threats, not only from terrorism, but also nuclear proliferation, climate change and poverty, genocide and disease," Obama told reporters allowed to attend the opening of the meeting in Washington. "Nearly all of these threats have grown over the last eight years because of the policies of George Bush, which I believe have left us less safe and less respected in the world.
"Instead of adhering to a rigid ideology, I want to get back to the pragmatic tradition of American foreign policy which has been so ably advanced by the people in this room, a policy that's focused on using all elements of American power to protect our people and to advance our interests," Obama said.
Obama and John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate, have pressed their foreign policy credentials. They disagree on a range of issues, including how to end American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-campaign19-2008jun19,0,1807606.story
Armed with new polls that show him running ahead of his Republican presidential rival in three battleground states, Democrat Barack Obama today turned his attention to foreign policy issues.
Obama met with his new senior working group on national security, advisors who include former secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Warren Christopher, and former Defense Secretary William Perry, who worked for President Clinton and advised Hillary Rodham Clinton during her campaign.
"We continue to face grave threats, not only from terrorism, but also nuclear proliferation, climate change and poverty, genocide and disease," Obama told reporters allowed to attend the opening of the meeting in Washington. "Nearly all of these threats have grown over the last eight years because of the policies of George Bush, which I believe have left us less safe and less respected in the world.
"Instead of adhering to a rigid ideology, I want to get back to the pragmatic tradition of American foreign policy which has been so ably advanced by the people in this room, a policy that's focused on using all elements of American power to protect our people and to advance our interests," Obama said.
Obama and John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate, have pressed their foreign policy credentials. They disagree on a range of issues, including how to end American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.