As Republican candidates for president debated foreign policy in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) laid down lines of attack in the conservative National Review. Many of his attacks were echoed on Saturday by the candidates, who used the piece as a sort of playbook to fill in for a lack of experience and ideas in the field. Missing, in the debate and the article, was strategic thinking - China, for example, is mentioned only once in the piece, in relation to sanctions on Iran - as well as an understanding of the connection between the foundations of our strength at home and our power abroad. Also missing was awareness of how extreme conservative views clash with the advice of military leaders and nonpartisan national security experts. When Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN), for example, was asked about her support for torture techniques that our military opposes, she said: "I'm on the same side as Vice President Cheney on this issue" and against Colin Powell and John McCain. Below, NSN explores how the topics covered in Graham's article stack up against expert advice. Graham's words are in italics.

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This Saturday, conservative candidates for president will debate national security and foreign policy in Spartanburg, South Carolina. So far those vying for the nomination have given few specifics about how they view the world beyond America's shores. As conservative columnist George Will wrote last week, "the candidates have some explaining to do." With two wars still winding down and the European economic crisis threatening the U.S., Americans need to know how the men and women who want to be America's commander-in-chief would deal with the rest of the world. Citizens need to know what they see as the chief external challenges to America and how they would shape our civilian, economic and military institutions to respond. The National Security Network has put together this list of questions for the eight contenders who will be taking the stage:

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Tonight in Las Vegas, the Republican presidential hopefuls are holding another debate. As the New York Times writes today: "For a while, we were concerned that the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination were not saying much about national security and foreign affairs. Now that a few have started, maybe they were better off before. Certainly, the Republican hopefuls have put to rest any lingering notion that their party is the one to trust with the nation's security... the candidates offer largely bad analysis and worse solutions, nothing that suggests real understanding or new ideas."

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The international scene is buzzing this week. Leaders from around the world are meeting at the UN, a political assassination rocked Afghanistan and Congress continued to debate the federal budget, which will play a significant role in determining America's strength, both at home and abroad. Tonight, candidates for the presidency will have a chance to articulate a coherent view of America's role in the world at a debate in Orlando hosted by Fox News. Below are five questions - pulled from this week's headlines - that will gauge whether candidates agree with nonpartisan security experts about how America should lead in a rapidly changing world.

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As Americans consider the legacy of 9/11 and ponder how to balance meeting global challenges with rebuilding strength at home, tonight conservative candidates for president will debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Fixing problems at home, starting with the economy and jobs, will rightly command much of the debate. But the candidates' visions for how America should conduct itself in the world also merit exploration. The gap between positions many candidates have already taken and the recommendations of non-partisan military and national security experts deserves focus as Americans look for pragmatic, non-ideological ways forward in a challenging time.

 

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Wednesday’s final debate is designed to focus entirely on domestic issues. Yet we live in a globalized world, and from personal security to financial security, critical international concerns are also part of the domestic agenda. Some issues that deserve an airing have not yet come up – doing right by our veterans, protecting our homeland, maintaining our constitutional values while keeping our homeland secure. Others such as energy security and the financial crisis, which are inextricably linked to our foreign policy, will surely be discussed again.

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Senator McCain’s debate performance yesterday did little to reassure voters about his ability to manage a steady and responsible national security policy. Aside from his gaffe referring to General Petraeus as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, there were serious substantive problems with McCain’s approach.

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