Imagine A Great Election

IRAQ/FOREIGN POLICY

The McCain website states Senator McCain will:

• Support the government of Iraq until it becomes capable of governing itself and safeguarding its people. 

• Not withdraw American troops until that has occurred.

• Bolster proven microfinance programs to spur local-level entrepreneurship throughout Iraq.

• Encourage the international community to apply real pressure to Syria and Iran to change their behavior.

• Bolster U.S. regional military posture to make clear to Iran our determination to protect our forces and deter Iranian intervention.

The Obama website states Senator Obama will:

• Responsibly end the war in Iraq, with a phased withdrawal of troops engaged in combat operations.

• Rebuild diplomatic links throughout the hemisphere through aggressive, principled, and sustained diplomacy in the Americas.

• Allow unlimited Cuban-American family travel and remittances to the island.

• Increase support for the building blocks of durable democracies: strong legislatures, independent judiciaries, free press, vibrant civil society, honest police forces, religious freedom, and the rule of law.

• Bring together the countries of our region in a new Energy Partnership for the Americas to forge a path toward sustainable growth and clean energy.

• Increase aid to the Americas.

• Double our foreign assistance to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme poverty around the world in half by 2015.

• Establish a new hemispheric security initiative.

• Increase U.S. focus on the long-term challenges of education, poverty reduction, disease, strengthening democratic institutions and spurring sustainable economic development in Africa.

• End the genocide in Darfur.

• Fully fund debt cancellation for heavily indebted poor countries to provide sustainable debt relief.
• Invest at least $50 billion by 2013 for the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

• Establish an Add Value to Agriculture Initiative to extend seed capital and technical assistance to small and medium enterprises.

• Reform the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

• Launch the Global Energy and Environment Initiative to ensure African countries have access to low-carbon energy technology and can profitably participate in the new global carbon market.

• Strengthen the African Growth and Opportunity Act to ensure African producers can access the U.S. market and encourage more American companies to invest on the continent.

• Address the new challenges Russia poses by:

1) engaging directly with the Russian government on issues of mutual interest;

2) keeping the door open to fuller integration into the global system for all states in the region, including Russia;

3) strengthening the Transatlantic alliance.

• Ensure a strong U.S.-Israel partnership.

• Support Israel’s right to self-defense.

• Support foreign assistance to Israel.

• Engage the American people on foreign policy.

• Secure loose nuclear materials from terrorists.

• Strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

• Strengthen NATO.

• Seek new partnerships in Asia.

• Pursue tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions.

• Meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and foe.