Seeking to clarify a comment in the vice presidential debate, the McCain campaign has confirmed it opposes providing Iran access to nuclear energy (WashPost). “There is no circumstance under which the international community could be confident that uranium enrichment or plutonium production activities undertaken by the current government of Iran are purely for peaceful purposes,” McCain campaign foreign policy director Randy Scheunemann said. Current Bush administration policy is that Iran has a right to nuclear energy but not control over the process of producing fuel, because it could be diverted for nuclear weapons material.

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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.

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A new public opinion study (PDF) from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs polls Americans on their views of foreign policy issues. The poll, which surveyed more than 1,500 respondents during July, shows “the American public is concerned about the country’s standing in the world and favors major changes in U.S. foreign policy,” according to the Chicago Council.

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Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) said in a statement he supports Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s proposal for the economy. He said the plan should be coordinated with the G-20. “We are facing a global financial crisis and the United States can take a leadership role in coordinating a global response to the present crisis, as well as greater regulatory cooperation and alignment to prevent future crises,” he said.

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Economic issues dominated the presidential campaign trail again on Tuesday. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) outlined a six-point plan (Denver Post) for economic reform, including improved federal oversight for financial institutions and streamlined regulatory agencies, among other measures.

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“I am glad that the President is moving in the direction of the policy that I have advocated for years. But the most substantial increase will come when an additional Army brigade is deployed five months from now – in February, after the President has left office. His plan comes up short – it is not enough troops, and not enough resources, with not enough urgency.”

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Both presidential candidates have praised the Nuclear Suppliers Group for deciding to allow its members to engage in nuclear cooperation with India. Both candidates urged the U.S. Congress to quickly pass the U.S.-India Agreement for Civil Nuclear Cooperation. Sen. Barack Obama’s statement is here. Sen. John McCain’s is here.

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MINNEAPOLIS — It is no stretch to say the region ranging from North Africa to Pakistan, known as the “Greater Middle East,” poses the biggest policy challenges for the next U.S. presidential administration. But solutions to the region’s myriad conflicts defy any quick accounting. A panel of top experts at a meeting convened this morning by CFR on the sidelines of the GOP presidential convention outlined the following most pressing issues:

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President Bush, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and former presidential candidate Fred Thompson spoke to the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. Lieberman praised Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) willingness to reach across the aisle on foreign policy issues: “If John McCain was just another go-along partisan politician, he never would have led the fight to fix our broken immigration system or to do something about global warming.”

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“Today’s handover of responsibility from the U.S. to Iraq in Anbar province is a solemn and proud moment for the Iraqi people and for the people of the United States…We must not forget that there is still work to be done in Anbar, and throughout Iraq. Political reconciliation needs to be furthered. Economic opportunity needs to be expanded. Reconstruction needs to advance, funded primarily by the government of Iraq. Provincial elections need to be held. And there are seven more Iraqi provinces yet to be returned to provincial Iraqi control.”

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