WASHINGTON — On the campaign trail, the two presidential teams have been savaging each other over what they contend are stark differences between how Barack Obama and John McCain would lead the United States in its multibillion-dollar war on terrorism.
Obama declared in his convention speech: "McCain likes to say that he'll follow Bin Laden to the gates of Hell -- but he won't even go to the cave where he lives."
At the GOP convention, Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate, fired back: "Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America -- he's worried that someone won't read them their rights?"
But beneath the harsh rhetoric, the two candidates -- who meet today in New York City to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks -- seem to be moving toward consensus on their broad-brush strategies, an unexpected development in what was the most contentious issue in the presidential race four years ago.
"The process of political campaigning has exaggerated the differences of the two candidates on trivial issues," said Brian Michael Jenkins of the Rand Corp., who is regarded as one of the world's leading authorities on terrorism. He has studied the issue in the last seven presidential races. "But when it comes to where the campaigns have outlined their platforms on Iraq, Afghanistan and national security, there isn't a great deal of difference."
Both McCain and Obama have pledged to retool much of the Bush administration's self-declared war on terrorism, saying it has been heavy-handed, too militaristic and unpopular at home and abroad.
On Iraq, one of their most fundamental initial disagreements, the two candidates' proposals have converged. Both now say they would withdraw troops within the next several years. Obama would draw down the troops by mid-2010 and McCain by 2013, but each with significant caveats that could prolong the U.S. military deployment.
Both say more troops are needed to quell a rapidly intensifying insurgency in Afghanistan and support a larger military force overall. They say a fresh approach is needed to capture Osama bin Laden and deal with the growing terrorist activity in Pakistan.
They pledge to stop the torture of terrorism suspects. They vow to engage in more public diplomacy and "soft power" tactics that emphasize winning the hearts and minds of those leaning toward extremism and anti-American beliefs. And they want to sharply curb nuclear proliferation.
