former Senator Mike Gravel (D-NY)

Who Is He?: Mike Gravel was born May 13, 1930 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Columbia University. He served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1954. He moved to Alaska in 1956 and held several jobs before being elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1962. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968 and served there until 1981.

International Experience: Senator Mike Gravel's service on the Senate's Committee on Environment and Public Works brought him into contact with a number of international issues. He organized international opposition to nuclear testing off the coast of Alaska. Gravel was a leading opponent of the Vietnam War and as such played key roles in the release of the Pentagon Papers and the end of the military draft.

Mike Gravel's Foreign Policy Positions: Gravel favors an immediate end to U.S. involvement in Iraq and opposes any U.S. military action against Iran. He favors the creation of a Palestinian state and the Kyoto Protocol on global climate change and greenhouse gases. He seeks drastic reductions in global nuclear weapon stockpiles, and he has described the North American Free Trade Agreement as a "disaster."

Statements on Foreign Policy:

• On the Iraq War (2/22/07)
• Stepping Back From Imperialism: Redirecting American Foreign Policy (11/1/06)
• Global Governance and the Future of the United Nations (7/10/03)

Campaign Links:

• Mike Gravel for President
• Gravel Channel on You Tube

The Competition: Explore the foreign policy background of all major 2008 presidential candidates.