by Sean Bowditch

With his high-profile visit to Europe and the Middle East coming up, Obama sharpened his national security message during a speech this morning at the Reagan Building in Washington DC.

Drawing on the words of post-WWII guru George Marshall — "What is needed? What can best be done? What must be done?" — Obama chastised the Bush Administration for what was not done after 9/11 and for creating a "distraction" in Iraq. He then laid out what he called a "tough, smart, and principled national security strategy". His priorities: 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 alliances to meet the challenges of the 21st century. He concluded:

Our moment is now. This must be the moment when we answer the call of history. For eight years, we've paid the price for foreign policy that lectures without listening, that divides us from one another and the world, instead of calling us to a common purpose. A politics that focuses on our tactics in fighting a war without end in Iraq instead of forging a new strategy to face down the true threats we face. We cannot afford four more years of a strategy that is so out of balance and out of step with this defining moment. I recognize none of this will be easy. But we have faced great odds before.

Not to be outdone, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain also took on national security today. At an event in Albuquerque that was supposed to focus on the economy, he promptly refuted Obama's position that Iraq has been a distraction from the central front in Afghanistan:

Senator Obama will tell you we can't win in Afghanistan without losing in Iraq. In fact, he has it exactly backwards. It is precisely the success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to succeed in Afghanistan. It is by applying the tried and true principles of counter-insurgency used in the surge — which Senator Obama opposed — that we will win in Afghanistan. With the right strategy and the right forces, we can succeed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I know how to win wars. And if I'm elected President, I will turn around the war in Afghanistan, just as we have turned around the war in Iraq, with a comprehensive strategy for victory.