Biden spoke of the fact that he had spent 34 years in the Senate and had been active in many congressional committees including being the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and formerly holding the post as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. On the campaign trail he touted his years of foreign policy experience particularly in regard to the conflict in Bosnia, which he feels he played a role in ending. Biden stated earlier in his campaign that "[he] truly believe[s] the American public is waiting for leaders to come along who have the experience to say what they will do to restore America's leadership in the world." At times during his campaign he believed his experience would help him win the Democratic nomination, but when Barack Obama's campaign began to surge with the candidate's emphasis on change, Biden shifted his focus from his experience in politics to his ability for action. He stated during a November 2007 debate, "This [election] is not about experience. It's not about change. It's about action. Who among us is going to be able to, on Day 1, step in and end the war?"