Obama outlines a vision of a new U.S. approach abroad

By Mike Dorning
Chicago Tribune national correspondent
Published April 23, 2007, 1:58 PM CDT

<Sen. Barack Obama promised Monday to double U.S. foreign aid if elected president, arguing that improvements in living conditions around the world would bolster the security of Americans and reduce the appeal of terrorism abroad.>

<...Obama repeated his past support for a withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops in Iraq by March 31, 2008, leaving a limited number of American troops in Iraq to fight terrorist groups.

He said that he would double current foreign spending to $50 billion by 2012, which would be the final year of his first term if he is elected.>

<...Obama also supported the increase of the size of U.S. ground forces, calling for an enlargement of the Army by 60,000 and of the Marines by 27,000.

He called for the U.S. to "lead by example" to combat global warming by capping and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the economy.

Obama said he would stress diplomatic measures and economic sanctions but use military force "if necessary" to stop Iran from producing nuclear weapons and eliminate North Korea's nuclear program.

He said he would seek to negotiate a verifiable global ban on the production of highly enriched uranium and plutonium for use in nuclear weapons.>

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-070423obama,1,3535573.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed