Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has settled in on his election-year strategy: Identify issues that unite his caucus but divide the other party, then use them to drive a wedge between the White House and congressional Democrats.

At the top of his list: the administration’s handling of terrorism cases…

But rather than fight every aspect of Obama’s domestic agenda, McConnell is selecting a handful of issues where he wants to engage in head-to-head combat with the White House. In part, that’s because he wants to create a clear us-versus-them contrast between the two parties, and in part it’s because he sees some areas as ripe for bipartisan progress — including offshore drilling, increased nuclear power and a renewed emphasis on trade agreements.

“We were not sent up here to just engage in political strategy; we ought to engage in what we think is right for the country,” McConnell said. “I’d be the last one to suggest that absolutely everything the administration does is incorrect. When we think that they’re on the right path, they’ll find Republican support.”