Unless you're an "inside-the-beltway dweller," chances are slim that you remember Joseph Nye's book, "Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics," from 2003. But Nye's idea of soft power -- "the ability to get what you want by attracting and persuading others to adopt your goals" -- is indeed persuasive.

Nye's articulation of what makes America powerful has undergone criticism ("Are you saying we should be soft on terrorists?") and subsequent re-framing since -- as eminent World Public Opinion pollster Steve Kull points out -- Americans only trust a leader who can go toe-to-toe with bad guys and not blink. Thus, it seems that "soft power" has given way to "smart power" -- the new watch-word amongst advocates for a more balanced, less militarized approach to U.S. foreign policy. The original term has cultural implications that one might argue are lost in the latter formulation, which sounds a bit technocratic, implying less that America's strength lies in the inherent attractiveness of its culture and ideals than that its clever leaders should actively be doing clever things to enhance American power abroad.

In any case, the U.S. could demonstrably use a large dose of either. Political realities being what they are (no presidential candidate is about to go trumpeting the word "soft" as a talking point), there is much to be said for focusing on America's smarts rather than its brawn. The Center for U.S. Global Engagement hit on that idea as a rallying point for its Impact 08 campaign, a place for business leaders, NGOs, policy-makers and government officials to come together in an effort to better the quality of U.S. foreign policy by focusing the 2008 presidential campaigns on the idea of "smart power."

In the words of the campaign:

Today’s U.S. investments in diplomacy and development are insufficient to promote global stability, expand the benefits of the global economy, and guarantee American security. Our increasingly interconnected world requires strong U.S. leadership to strengthen democratic governance, harness economic potential, alleviate global poverty and improve human conditions. American investments in these goals will reaffirm America’s tradition of moral leadership, reduce our vulnerability to threats from destabilizing forces and improve America’s image abroad. To achieve these objectives, the U.S. must use smart power – elevating diplomacy and development assistance while integrating them with our economic policies, defense and intelligence activities.

A tent as big as Impact 08 speaks with a loud voice but risks agreeing on little in the way of concrete proposals. Thankfully, the campaign convened a crack working group that not only formulated a commendable strategy and vision but also delved into options for action. The result is a solid foundation of ideas that presidential candidates can use to flesh out a vision for better U.S. global engagement.

Today's Impact 08 kickoff event was a high profile affair. It was interesting to hear each of the speakers -- including former cabinet officials (Madeleine Albright, Tom Ridge, Frank Carlucci) and a retired general (Barry McCaffrey) -- articulate a vision of American "smart power." Carlucci recalled U.S. housing and medical programs he oversaw in Portugal in the 1970's that helped to pull the country back from civil war. Albright rallied moderates -- "Moderation does not signal a lack of resolve: we need militant moderates!" -- to a faithful pursuit of America's ideals. Among her more memorable lines: "We can't rescue America's ideals from misuse and skepticism by giving up on them. Democracy is the exercise of freedom, even if we don't agree with its use. Democracy is a form of government, not a ticket to a heavenly paradise where everyone agrees with us." Ridge echoed that though America may be seen as an adversary, "the idea of America" still makes people queue up at U.S. consulates all over the world to come here.

Most of the speakers expressed the need to reconcile "the idea of America" with its image and its policies abroad. Campaign director Liz Schrayer promised in her closing remarks that the Center's website will cover closely what presidential candidates say about U.S. engagement abroad as their campaigns develop and as Impact 08 takes its smart power message on the road in primary states.