I can’t find it.  That makes it difficult to decide how I feel about what he wants our role in the world to be.  On the other hand, Senator Obama’s policy choices are easy to find, and therefore fairly easy to judge.

I am a foreign affairs professional (started out as a Peace Corps Volunteer, now retired after nearly 30 years as a Foreign Service Officer in the State Department and overseas, working on African and European Affairs, democracy and human rights, followed by service with multilateral organizations including the OSCE and the United Nations).  I care deeply about America’s standing in the world, which has (how shall I put it?) suffered in recent years.  So I tend to judge candidates for President through that lens, at least in part (although as I advance in years I am paying greater attention to domestic issues like health care).

There have been a number of diaries and other comments in past weeks about the relative strengths of the candidates on foreign policy.  So I thought I would look for what the candidates themselves say they want to do.  It has not been easy, and that's instructive.