Sen. John McCain says that if he's elected president, he wants to create a worldwide "League of Democracies" to "revive democratic solidarity" and bypass gridlock at the United Nations.

"The new League of Democracies would form the core of an international order of peace based on freedom. It could act where the U.N. fails to act," such as in Darfur, McCain says in advance excerpts of a speech he's making Tuesday to the Hoover Institution.

According to the excerpts, provided by his campaign, McCain envisions the new organization taking on AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and "the crisis in our environment." He says it could also put pressure on tyrants in Burma or Zimbabwe "with or without Moscow's and Beijing's approval."

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Sounds like Russia and China might not be invited to join. Asked about that, McCain spokesman Danny Diaz declined to elaborate.

McCain says he would call a summit of world democracies in his first year to explore the practical steps needed to realize his vision.

Update at 8:30 a.m. ET, May 1: There's an Associated Press story on McCain's proposal here.