Obama's Foreign Policy Would Be Radical Overhaul

Barack Obama provides “the most sweeping liberal foreign-policy critique” from a presidential contender in decades, writes Spencer Ackerman in the American Prospect—focusing not on fear, but rather on what advisers call “dignity promotion.” Ackerman credits the candidate's brain trust with cutting through “Democratic timidity” to look at the root causes of anti-Americanism and address misery on a global basis.

His key aides are united by their opposition to the Iraq war from the first, Ackerman writes. They are passionate about ending fear-driven politics, flattening al-Qaeda and taking on John McCain. Unlike other Democrats who mainly try to avoid stepping on toes, Obama advisors relish a matchup that will underline exactly how different their approach is. (More Barack Obama stories.)