The New York Times has eight short pieces by former 2008 Presidential candidates outlining an issue they would be talking about if they were still running. Two of them stood out strongly for me.
Joe Biden, never my favorite candidate, nevertheless has a great piece on the importance of Afghanistan and Pakistan to our foreign policy:

We also need to make good on President Bush’s pledge for a Marshall Plan for Afghanistan. In six years, we have spent on Afghanistan’s reconstruction only what we spend every three weeks on military operations in Iraq.
…
The recent Pakistani elections gave the moderate majority its voice back and gives the United States an opportunity to move from a Musharraf policy to a Pakistan policy. To demonstrate to its people that we care about their needs, not just our own, we must triple assistance for schools, roads and clinics, sustain it for a decade, and demand accountability for the military aid we provide.
If Afghanistan fails or Pakistan falls to fundamentalism, America will suffer a terrible setback. The candidates should tell Americans how they will handle what may be the next president’s most difficult challenge.

He's right. And he's got the right frame too. Our investments in Pakistan and Afghanistan cannot be primarily military investments. That simply kills civilians, alienates the population, and arguably does little to solve the actual problem. Nation building is what we need to be doing.
Chris Dodd hits on another often overlooked piece of policy, our crumbling infrastructure:

With every bursting pipe, potholed road and derailed train, the conclusion became inescapable: America’s backbone is decaying.
It wasn’t always this way. Year by year and ton by ton — from the great railroads to tens of thousands of miles of Interstate — great American engineers built the foundations of our prosperity.
Why are we leaving so little for our future? Reliable infrastructure keeps economies growing and the entrepreneurial spirit vibrant.

It's clear the path to economic revitalization is right in front of our noses. Instead of sending all our money overseas to fight immoral wars like the one in Iraq, instead of enriching political cronies and the military-industrial complex with no-bid contracts, we should put Americans to work building roads, bridges, railroads, communication lines, and other infrastructure that will benefit domestic business.
I believe these candidates were successful in pushing their messages, but clearly their presence is missed. Let's hope we, the electorate, have the organization and skill to force the nominees to address issues like these that so often go overlooked.
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