In the latest ABC News poll at press time, close to half of all voters cite Iraq or terrorism as the major issue facing the United States. And this finding represents a sharp and important change in American politics.

For the first time in a generation, foreign policy is taking center stage in a presidential election. This year, bombs in the subways are a more critical concern than crime in the streets or prayer in the schools. And the voters have been offered two distinct views of the world and America’s role in it.