While some have seen parallels between Obama's campaign promises and new Bush administration policies in international affairs, McCain advisor Randy Scheunemann blasted such contentions as "rank hypocrisy." Washington Post, September 15.

Seems the old guard of the GOP is a little wary about Sarah Palin's foreign-policy inexperience. McCain advisor Robert Kagan came to her defense. Another McCain advisor, Max Boot, had a tepid initial reaction to her nomination. Politico, September 11.

Richard Holbrooke, an Obama advisor, James Woolsey and Dennis Ross are co-chairing United Against a Nuclear Iran, a nonpartisan effort that hopes to help form effective U.S. policy toward Tehran. The Forward, September 11. 

John McCain is prepared to reach across the aisle for Cabinet members. Maybe even Zbigniew Brezezinski, current Obama advisor. The New American, September 11.

Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman, both close to McCain, proposed an amendment to the defense programs bill that will recognize the "strategic success of the troop surge." Congressional Quarterly, September 10.

Among those helping to get Palin up to speed on national security is Steve Biegun, a former staff member of Mr. Bush's National Security Council. New York Times, September 11.

Obama national security advisor Richard Clarke thinks that McCain has been "forced to move on issues like Iraq and Afghanistan in Obama's direction," while McCain's senior national security advisor Randy Scheunemann thinks the candidates are "profoundly different on a range of issues." Los Angeles Times, September 11.

Scheunemann was quoted more extensively in the Washington Post, arguing "Obama persists in the fiction that Iraq was never a central front in the war on terror…" Here Richard Clarke counters by saying that Obama "called for sending two brigades of U.S. forces to Afghanistan 13 months" before the Joint Chiefs. Washington Post, September 11.

Obama foreign policy advisor Susan Rice also helps Obama on the campaign trail, telling a group of Michigan voters that their state will play a crucial role in the election. She discussed Obama's plans for withdrawing troops from Iraq with the voters as well. Detroit Free Press, September 10.

Lobbyist issues are still haunting John McCain. The dealings of Randy Scheunemann with the Georgian government and senior advisor Charlie Black's involvement with African dictatorships provide fodder for the opposition on the campaign trail. CNN, September 9.

McCain advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin stressed the national-security components of importing oil and touted McCain's energy plans. USA Today, September 10.

Susan Rice, a central driver of Obama's foreign policy, is a "principled pragmatist" when it comes to international affairs. U.S. News & World Report, September 8.

Ted Koppel quizzed Randy Scheunemann on McCain/Palin's foreign-policy expertise and advisors. Scheunemann lauded Palin's executive experience running a state with two international borders, going on to outline McCain's foreign-policy vision and advisor base. Talk of the Nation, September 8.

The Sudanese government is more worried about the United States under a new president than under Bush. They're fearful of Biden's calls for intervention and the carryovers from the Clinton administration on Obama's foreign-policy team. LA Times, September 6.

Randy Scheunemann has a long history with Georgia. Not surprising, then, that his interview with Newsweek about McCain's foreign policy focused on Russia and Saakashvili. September 6.

Obama advisor Susan Rice talked up her candidate to U.S. News & World Report, focusing on getting forceful with Russia and rejecting the idea of an Obama doctrine. September 5.

Filling in for Randy Scheunemann, Joe Lieberman lauded McCain's planned foreign-policy "shake-up" with veiled criticism of President Bush and big plans for the State Department. Washington Times, September 4.

James Woolsey and Randy Scheunemann are under fire for their critiques of Barack Obama's take on the war on terror. The New Republic, September 4.

VP candidate Sarah Palin's foreign-policy team might look eerily familiar. That's because if they're not already on the McCain team, they're probably former-Bush administration aides like Steve Biegun, who worked for Condi Rice, and Matt Scully, a Bush foreign-policy speechwriter. The New Republic, September 2.

To prep for her debates with Biden, Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin has been receiving a crash course in McCain's foreign policy from none other than top advisor Randy Scheunemann. WSJ, September 3.

The New York Times is a dubious about top McCain advisor and Iraq War vet Lindsey Graham's endorsement of Palin. Graham is certain Palin will do what's right when it comes to the world's foreign-policy hotspots, but that may only be because she's "tended" by McCain's advisors. September 2.

Giorgi Baramidze, a Georgian vice prime minister, is in Denver trying to enlist support from Democratic bigwigs. He's chatted with Obama advisors Susan Rice and Tony Lake and former-Clinton advisor Richard Holbrooke so far. National Journal, August 28.

According to Obama national-security advisor Greg Craig, President Barack would visit a Muslim capital within a year of taking office as a gesture to the Islamic world (Sydney Morning Herald). As for talking to Iran, and who Obama would talk to, Craig says that's "yet to be decided" (Jewish Daily Forward). August 28-29.

A new cold war? Obama advisor Susan Rice says no. She's also against the league-of-democracies proposal: "John McCain's notion is a very exclusionary one." Economic Times (India), August 29.

A slew of foreign dignitaries are at the Democratic convention in Denver this week shilling for their countries. Representatives from Kurdistan and Georgia, among others, are busily chatting up Obama advisors like Tony Lake, Susan Rice and Greg Craig. Bloomberg, August 28.

As Democrats dominate the airwaves, Republicans are trying to paint Obama as a foreign-policy weakling: Robert Kagan says Obama seems to believe that "all you ever need to do is get everyone in the same room and have a nice, pleasant chat and work everything out." But Barack advisor Jeremy Rosner lambastes the "toxic and dangerous effects of a neocon unilateralist style that has nearly shattered our alliances and made Americans weaker." The Washington Post, August 28.

Former Navy secretary and Obama advisor Richard Danzig is concerned about the GOP nominee's temper: "I think John McCain is well-known for ‘losing it' in a variety of circumstances." The New Republic, August 26.

Will Joe Biden affect Barack's foreign policy? Obama advisor Greg Craig says it's too early to tell. The Irish Times, August 27.

McCain advisors Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman say "Russia's aggression" will not stand in this Wall Street Journal op-ed. August 26.

Cindy McCain flew to Tbilisi on Monday to meet with embattled Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Foreign-policy chief Randy Scheunemann said only his candidate understood the threat posed by Moscow's policies. The Guardian, August 26.

McCain advisor Robert Kagan outlines George W. Bush's conversion from realism to idealism and lays out an ambitious democracy agenda in the September/October edition of Foreign Affairs.

Obama aide Greg Craig says that Barack is JFK's heir, now that Caroline and Ted Kennedy have given the Illinois senator their stamp of approval: he gushes over the "passing of the torch" on NPR. August 25.

But some see Barack as more Jimmy Carter than John Kennedy: indecisive in the face of a crisis. The Jerusalem Post, August 26.

Obama's and Biden's differing views on Iraq have converged in recent months.  Politico reports that the reconciliation was "engineered by Obama foreign policy guru Susan Rice and Biden's highly regarded committee staff director Tony Blinken."  Politico Online, August 24.

McCain advisor Robert Kagan argued recently that great power battles, and not Islamic terrorism, will be America's greatest challenge in the future.  Telegraph (UK), August 22.

After slamming McCain for employing lobbyists in his campaign, it turns out that Obama now has one of his own: David Shapiro. Mr. Shapiro is a foreign-policy advisor to Senator Obama and also lobbies for the American Petroleum Institute-the main lobbying organization for "Big Oil."

While we wait for the pick, Veep candidate Joe Biden continues to be vetted by Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic, who cites the Democratic Senator's 2005 New Yorker profile to argue that he really "gets" the political significance of 9/11.  Says Goldberg, "it certainly has power in parts of the country ill-disposed to Obama." Atlantic Monthly Online, August 22.

McCain's approach to national security issues demonstrates a "pattern here of recklessness," according to Obama's senior foreign-policy advisor Susan Rice.  Richard Clarke-also an Obama advisor-adds that McCain's rhetoric on national security has been "reckless, trigger happy, and largely discredited." Congressional Quarterly Online, August 21.

Also, Obama said today that his foreign policy team would include the "best and the brightest." Some names he mentioned: Sam Nunn, Richard Holbrooke, former Defense Secretary William Perry, and Republican Senators Richard Lugar and Chuck Hagel.  Reuters, August 21.