Obama Campaign Press Release - Over 70 Foreign Policy Experts Announce Endorsement of Barack Obama for President

Chicago, IL -- Over seventy foreign policy experts, with experience ranging from the State Department and the Pentagon, to the White House and the U.S. Congress, today announced their endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President.

The group, which includes individuals who have served under every President since John F. Kennedy, said that Obama has the judgment to lead America at this pivotal moment in history, and the ability to take on unconventional threats and restore America's security and standing in the world.

"On the most important foreign policy decision of the last twenty years, Barack Obama made the right judgment in opposing the war in Iraq. His combination of sound judgment, global understanding, and bold and detailed policy proposals is exactly what America needs in a President at this critical moment in our history," said Larry Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration.

Their endorsement came as Obama held a Foreign Policy Forum in Des Moines, Iowa, where he and several of his top foreign policy advisors engaged in a n open dialogue with Iowa residents on the challenges America faces and how Obama would address them as President. At the event, Obama discussed his specific plans to end the war in Iraq, renew American diplomacy, pursue aggressive diplomacy with Iran, fight terrorism and extremism, and lead the world against the threats of the 21st century.

Further details on Obama's foreign policy agenda can be found here: http://barackobama.com/foreignpolicy.

National Security Experts Endorsing Obama Today

Clifford Alexander, former Secretary of the Army

Ambassador Jeffrey Bader, Former Assistant US Trade Representative for Asia; Ambassador to Namibia

Professor Henri Barkey, Lehigh University, former member, State Dept. Policy Planning

Mr. Tom Bernstein, Human Rights Expert

Ambassador David Birenbaum, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. for Management and Reform

Dr. Esther Brimmer, former staff member State Department Policy Planning

Mr. Art Brown, former National Intelligence Officer for East Asia and Chief of CIA's East Asian Operations Division

Dr. Mark Brzezinski, former Director, European Affairs, National Security Council

Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Adviser under President Carter

Rep. Brad Carson, former Member of Congress; Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense

Dr. Joseph Cirincione, Author and Nonproliferation Expert

Ms. Bonnie Cohen, former Undersecretary of State for Management

Mr. Greg Craig, former Assistant to the President and Director of Policy Planning, State Department

Dr. Ivo Daalder, former Director, European Affairs, National Security Council

General (ret.) Tom Daniels, Texas Air National Guard

Mr. Richard Danzig, former Secretary of the Navy

Senator Tom Daschle, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader

Ambassador Alice Dear, former U.S. Executive Director, African Development Bank

Mr. Michael Froman, Chief of Staff, Department of Treasury; Deputy Assistant Secretary, Dept. of Treasury; National Security Council Staff Member

Mr. Tony Gambino, former Mission Director, USAID, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dr. Tobi Gati, former Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research; Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasian Affairs, National Security Council

Ambassador Robert Gelbard, former Presidential Envoy for the Balkans; Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement; Ambassador to Indonesia; Ambassador to Bolivia

Dr. Matthew Goodman, Former Director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council

Dr. Philip Gordon, former Director, European Affairs, National Security Council

Dr. Scott Gould, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Management

General (ret.) Scott Gration, former Director for Strategy, Policy and Planning, U.S. European Command

Adm. Don Guter, former Judge Advocate General of the Navy

General (ret.) Richard Hearney, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps

Mr. Eric Holder, former Deputy Attorney General

Mr. John Holum, Former Director of ACDA and Undersecretary State for Arms Control and International Security

Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Ambassador to Mali and Madagascar, Chief of Mission to Cuba and Ethiopia

Admiral (ret.) John Hutson, former Judge Advocate General of the Navy

Mr. Jeh Johnson, former General Counsel, U.S. Air Force

Mr. Brian Katulis, Author and Middle East expert

Mr. Noel Koch, former Special Assistant to President Nixon; former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

Mr. Larry Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense

Mr. Anthony Lake, former National Security Adviser to President Bill Clinton

Mr. David Lipton, former Under Secretary of Treasury for International Affairs

Mr. Robert Litt, former Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General; US Attorney

Mr. Jan Lodal, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense

Mr. Frank Loy, former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs

General (ret.) Lester L. Lyles, former Vice Chief of Staff USAF 1999-2000

Governor Raymond Mabus, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Governor of Mississippi

Dr. Michael McFaul, Professor, Political Science, Stanford University

General Tony McPeak, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force

The Honorable Abner Mikva, former White House Counsel under President Clinton; Chief Judge, DC Court of Appeals, Member of Congress (D-Ill)

Ambassador Donald McHenry, former US Permanent Representative to the United Nations

Ambassador Al Moses, former Ambassador to Romania

Professor Michael Nacht, Dean, School of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley

Admiral (ret.) John Nathman, former Director of Navy Operations and Plans

Prof. Michael Oppenheimer, Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs, Department of Geosciences and Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

F. Whitten Peters, former Secretary of the Air Force

Professor Samantha Power, Professor, Harvard University - Pulitzer Prize Winner

Ambassador Nick Rey, former Ambassador to Poland

Dr. Susan Rice, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; former Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council

Prof. Riordan Roett, Director of Western Hemisphere Studies and the Latin American Studies Program, SAIS, Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Barnett Rubin, Director of Studies and Senior Fellow, Center on International Cooperation, NY University

Ambassador David Scheffer, former Ambassador at Large for War Crimes

Dr. Witney Schneidman, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

Ms. Sarah Sewell, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

Mr. Dan Shapiro, former Director, National Security Council

Representative Adam Smith, House Armed Services Committee, Chairman, Terrorism, Unconventional Threats, and Capabilities Subcommittee

Ms. Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President, National Security Council

General (ret.) James Smith, former Deputy Commander, Joint Warfare Center, US Joint Forces Command

Ms. Tara Sonenshine, former Special Assistant to the President, National Security Council

Mr. Theodore "Ted" Sorensen, former Special Counsel to President John F. Kennedy

Ms. Mona Sutphen, former Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor

Dr. Jim Vermillion, former Mission Director, USAID, Nicaragua

Professor David Victor, Stanford Law School

The Honorable Pat Wald, Chief Judge, DC Circuit, US Court of Appeals, Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, Iraq Intelligence Commission

Professor Celeste Wallender, Georgetown University

Senator Harris Wofford, former CEO Corporation for National Service (Americorps), United States Senator

Representative/Dr. Howard Wolpe, Former Member of Congress and Presidential Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa