Obama Meets with National Security Advisers

By Caren Bohan

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has named a panel of former U.S. officials to advise him on foreign policy, some of whom may be considered for Cabinet posts if he wins in November.

While Obama and his Republican rival John McCain face almost five months of intense campaigning before Americans vote, speculation over their running mates and who might fill senior positions in their potential administrations is already in full swing.

For Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, enlisting the group of seasoned experts as advisers may help bolster his foreign policy credentials.

In Obama's advisory group, the possibilities for secretary of state or White House national security adviser include former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton; Anthony Lake, national security adviser to former President Bill Clinton; and Susan Rice, a former assistant secretary of state and Obama's senior foreign policy aide.

Former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn, also on the panel, has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate. Eric Holder, deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration, could be a candidate for the top Justice Department job in an Obama administration.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Defense Secretary William Perry and former Secretary of State Warren Christopher are also among the advisers, which the Obama campaign described as a "senior working group."

Obama met the group on Wednesday, although one member, Holder, could not attend. Nunn and Christopher joined by conference call.

'GRAVE THREATS'
"We're going to have a wide-ranging discussion about the national security challenges facing the United States," Obama said at the start of the meeting.

"We're fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We continue to face grave threats, not only from terrorism, but also nuclear proliferation, climate change, poverty, genocide and disease."

Albright had been a key adviser to New York Sen. Hillary Clinton when the former first lady was battling Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Obama campaign has made overtures to a number of Clinton advisers and fundraisers as it seeks to unify Democrats after the hard-fought struggle between Obama and Clinton.

McCain, a Vietnam War hero and former prisoner of war who has been outspoken on national security issues, has made his foreign policy experience a centerpiece of his campaign.

But Obama likened McCain's foreign policy to that of President George W. Bush. He said the Republican president's approach was based on ideology, while he would follow a "pragmatic" approach focused on "using all elements of American power to protect our people and to advance our interests."

McCain's campaign has sought to portray Obama as weak on national security and has criticized his call for greater engagement with U.S. adversaries such as Iran and Syria.

A senior McCain adviser on Monday accused Obama of having a pre-9/11 mindset. Obama shot back by accusing Republicans of trying to use terrorism as a club and seeking to distract from the foreign policy failures of the Bush administration.

Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant dismissed the new foreign policy panel as "a group of Washington insiders."

"A photo-op with a few hand-picked experts who he agrees with will not convince the American people that Obama has the judgment and experience necessary to be commander-in-chief," Conant said.

Hamilton, a U.S. authority on national security matters, co-chaired the blue-ribbon commission that investigated the September 11 attacks and was one of the leaders of the Baker-Hamilton group that offered Bush a series of options for dealing with Iraq.

The working group also includes several people who have long been close advisers to Obama. Among those are Rice, Lake and former State Department official Greg Craig.

After the foreign policy meeting, Obama met separately with a few dozen retired admirals and generals to discuss military affairs and Iraq and Afghanistan.

There has been speculation that Obama may be looking for a vice presidential running mate with a military background.

(Reporting by Caren Bohan; Editing by Bill Trott and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: newsdaily