U.S. Vice Presidential candidates Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) sparred on U.S. military deployments in Iraq and several other foreign policy issues in their only television debate before November’s election. On the financial crisis, Biden reaffirmed statements from Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) that any federal government package created to deal with the turmoil should be focused on the middle class (FT). Palin attacked “predatory” lending practices on Wall Street and said Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) past positions cast him as an economic reformer.

Read more »

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) both gave speeches on energy policy on Tuesday. McCain promoted his plan to implement a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions, which he said will “give American businesses new incentives and rewards to seek, instead of just giving new taxes to pay and new orders to follow.” Obama again called for higher fuel standards and criticized proposals for domestic oil exploration and a gas tax holiday.

Read more »

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) suspended her candidacy for the Democratic nomination June 7 . Clinton, who had advanced farther than any woman presidential candidate in U.S. history, sought throughout the campaign season to distinguish her foreign policy agenda from that of her main opponent, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).

Read more »

“Even as we campaign for the presidency, we will use our standing as Senators to press for the steps needed to ensure that the United States honors, in practice and in deed, its commitment to the cause of peace and protection of Darfur’s innocent citizenry. We will continue to keep a close watch on events in Sudan and speak out for its marginalized peoples. It would be a huge mistake for the Khartoum regime to think that it will benefit by running out the clock on the Bush Administration.”

Read more »

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) delivered a speech that called for a binding accord with Russia on nuclear disarmament. He also said he would reconsider his past opposition to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Read more »

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) says Israel will “have to acknowledge that some of the settlement policies make it very difficult to create a functioning Palestinian state” and Palestinians must “recognize Israel” and “stop threatening violence” (Reuters).

Read more »

In a speech on Thursday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) laid out his vision for the United States by 2013, which could be the end of his first term in the presidency. He said he expects Iraq to be a “functioning democracy” by then. He also predicted that a “League of Democracies” will have been established and will have pressured Sudan to stop what U.S. officials have termed as genocide in Darfur.

Read more »

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) said on Fox News Sunday he plans to vote to confirm Gen. David Petraeus as head of Central Command, and praised Petraeus for having done a “a good tactical job in Iraq.”

Read more »

“The delay in publishing the results of the election raise serious doubts about what is happening. It is now time for the international community, especially Zimbabwe’s immediate neighbors, to stand up and be heard in support of Zimbabwe’s people, demanding that their votes be respected. This is not only the principled course of action, it is also the only one that will assure everyone’s best interests by not allowing the situation to deteriorate further.”

Read more »

Sen. Hillary Clinton’s speech in Washington, D.C., on Monday generated discussion again about the foreign policy credentials of Sen. Barack Obama. Less noted was the bleak foreign affairs outlook Clinton painted. She mentioned wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, countries “rushing to acquire nuclear weapons,” and “crushing” global poverty. She also pointed to climate change, disease pandemics, genocide in Darfur, terrorism, and the “rise of borderless, stateless criminal cartels.” Clinton drew distinctions between herself and opponent Barack Obama, and attempted to portray herself as a safe bet for voters concerned about foreign policy. “The American people don’t have to guess whether I understand the issues, or whether I would need a foreign policy instruction manual to guide me through a crisis, or whether I’d have to rely on advisers to introduce me to global affairs,” she said.

Read more »