Republican Jeb Bush staked out a robust vision for US foreign policy in line with party doctrine and sought to ease concerns that he might be influenced by his powerful political family by insisting, “I’m my own man.”

CIA director Michael Hayden defended his agency’s interrogation practices as political pressure mounted on President George Bush’s attorney general nominee to reject an alleged interrogation technique.

US President George Bush has fallen short of his role as leader of the free world, and the 2008 election is a chance to change that, Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama said today.