海角大神

President Obama told the Veterans of Foreign Wars Monday that he has kept the promises he made to them as a candidate four years ago 鈥� to wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to 鈥渢ake the fight to Al Qaeda,鈥� and to renew America鈥檚 global leadership 鈥� and said it is now time to turn America鈥檚 focus to serving the thousands of veterans who after a decade of war will be returning to civilian life.

Mr. Obama spoke to the VFW convention in Reno, Nev., at the top of a week that promises to shift the presidential campaign, if only so slightly, from the economy to foreign policy.

Following Obama, Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will address the VFW convention on Tuesday, before he heads overseas on a seven-day, three-country trip designed to demonstrate his 鈥渟tatesman鈥� qualities to American voters.

The president mentioned neither his reelection campaign nor his Republican rival in his speech, choosing instead to emphasize what he has done as commander-in-chief. But it was clear from Obama鈥檚 emphasis on his 鈥渢rack record鈥� and 鈥渢he promises I鈥檝e made and the promises I鈥檝e kept鈥� that the president was unveiling the theme he plans to take into November to contrast his foreign-policy record with Governor Romney鈥檚 lack of one.

Obama said that under his leadership America is 鈥渨inding down a decade of war while strengthening our alliances around the globe,鈥� adding, 鈥渂ecause we are leading around the world, the world has a new attitude about America.鈥�

Not surprisingly, the president spoke of what some foreign-policy analysts consider the standout accomplishment of his administration: the mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

Obama reminded the veterans that he had 鈥減ledged to take out the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11鈥� even if it meant going into Pakistan.鈥� With a salute to the 鈥渕en and women in uniform鈥� who have carried out the counterterrorist operations, he added, 鈥淥sama bin Laden will never threaten America again, and Al Qaeda is on the road to defeat.鈥�

But the president also spoke of what he called 鈥渁 new era of American leadership鈥� that he suggested would, at least in his vision of it, rely less on military power and more on diplomatic efforts. To underscore his point, he offered a list of both broad and specific foreign-policy challenges 鈥� the threat of nuclear proliferation, democratization in the Middle East as a result of the Arab spring, the imposition of strong new sanctions on Iran and North Korea over their nuclear programs, and the effort for a political transition in Syria 鈥� as areas where he said the US is leading international diplomatic efforts.

Obama spent little time in his speech on Syria, but his critics on the issue continued to attack the president for failing to lead as Syria鈥檚 death count rises.

Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona, Obama鈥檚 opponent in 2008, on Monday called US policy in Syria 鈥渟hameful鈥� and said it was 鈥渄isgraceful鈥� that Obama has refused to intervene more forcefully in the country鈥檚 conflict. Senator McCain is one of a group of congressional leaders who say the US should, for example, establish a no-fly zone along Syria鈥檚 border with Turkey and begin supplying arms to the rebels.

鈥淭he president does not believe in American exceptionalism and doesn鈥檛 want America to lead,鈥� McCain said in an interview Monday on Fox News.

A few hours later, Obama told the VFW that America is 鈥渢he one indispensable nation in world affairs,鈥� and that it is America鈥檚 veterans who 鈥渉ave kept us strong.鈥�

Obama has not always had an easy relationship with veterans鈥� organizations. But he broke into his trademark grin when the VFW commander-in-chief, Richard de Noyer, introduced the president as someone 鈥渞aised with Midwestern values.鈥� And he won sustained applause as he listed the advances his administration has won for veterans, including improved health care, tax breaks to employers who hire veterans, and what he said are 鈥渇ewer and shorter deployments.鈥�

The president also gave a brief mention to the looming automatic cuts to defense spending under the last-ditch budget agreement known as sequestration, saying 鈥渢here is no reason those cuts in defense spending should happen鈥� and placing the onus on Republicans in Congress to agree on a compromise alternative.

And Obama pledged that it will be 鈥渁ll hands on deck鈥� 鈥� presumably he meant in a second Obama administration 鈥� to address the scourge of post-traumatic stress disorder in the nation鈥檚 returning veterans.

Noting that the US now loses more troops to suicide than in combat, the president said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a tragedy, it鈥檚 heartbreaking 鈥� that should not be happening in the United States of America.鈥�