While the economy, the environment, health-care and education will all be key issues in November, the choice for president will almost certainly come down to the critical issues of the war in Iraq and all issues relating to foreign and military policy.

If you thought Hillary Clinton played the “3 AM call” card, wait til you see what John McCain has up his sleeve.

As great a candidate as Barack Obama is, he will certainly be facing an up-hill battle against McCain on these core issues.

Obama’s one and only foreign policy credential is his constant and unwavering opposition to the war in Iraq. When you consider what an unmitigated disaster the war has been, that is no small credential. 

McCain, on the other hand, has been a staunch supporter of the war and has made no bones about his intentions of prolonging the war for an indefinite period of time (a time-frame, it would seem, up to 100 years).

But, the fact remains that McCain has far more military and foreign policy experience than Obama. He was educated in the military, served in the military and was a genuine military hero.

Obama can’t suddenly invent foreign policy experience. That’s why it is imperative that he surround himself with advisors with significant military and foreign policy experience. 

Once he has nailed down the Democratic Party’s nomination, one of Obama’s first steps should be to secure two key Cabinet posts: Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. While such announcements are usually made after the election, Obama needs to get these people on board immediately.

SECRETARY OF STATE

Whatever difficulties Joe Biden and Obama have had in the past, Obama should select Biden as his Secretary of State. Biden’s foreign policy experience is unmatched in the Senate. As Chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, and a committee member since 1975, Biden has encyclopedic knowledge of all key matters relating to foreign policy. He has been to Iraq eight times and has personal relationships with key political and military figures in the region.

As Secretary of State, Biden would serve Obama well, advising on Iraq, Iran and every other political and military hot spot in the world.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

While Biden would bring incredible diplomatic experience to the Obama presidency, the job of Secretary of Defense should be given to Colin Powell. This selection would be met with resistance from many in the Democratic Party, but it shouldn’t. Powell is the perfect choice. 

Despite Powell’s role in the events that led us into the debacle in Iraq, the fact remains that Powell not only is the finest military mind we have, but is an experienced military commander. 

While the Democratic Party has long been the party of peace, the sad fact is that we do face military threats on many fronts.

Iraq may be the wrong place for us to be deploying the bulk of our military forces, but we must be prepared to use force (along with diplomacy) on other fronts. Powell’s biggest crime was allowing Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld undermine him at every step.

Powell’s performance in front of the United Nations, a performance fueled by his loyalty to his Commander in Chief, helped to pave the way for our invasion of Iraq. This act cannot be completely forgiven.

But, for the sake of an Obama victory in November, we need to forgive and move on.

The team of Obama, Biden and Powell will not only offer America security, but the combination of strength and diplomacy gives us the best shot at peace in the coming years.