Senator John McCain gave the opening address at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee 2008 Policy Conference. He spoke about U.S. foreign policy goals, relations with Israel, and diplomatic engagement. In his remarks he criticized Senator Barack Obama's willingness to talk with Iranian leaders, called for tougher sanctions on Iran, and stated the past attempts to negotiate with Iran on its nuclear programs had been failures. Then a panel discussion, moderated by Dan Senor, focused on challenges for U.S. and Israeli policy in the Middle East.