Opinion

• Obama and the Taliban HuffingtonPost.com - Fri Jul 25, 10:02 AM ET

  Among its many goals, Barack Obama's historic July 24 speech in Berlin sought to demonstrate the Senator's command of the world stage, particularly with regard to creating a united front with Europe against global terrorism. Given the largely positive reception it has received, the presumptive Democratic nominee likely achieved this goal.

• Unrealistic Expectations for Obama The Nation - Fri Jul 25, 12:25 PM ET

  The Nation -- First the McCain campaign baited Barack Obama to visit Iraq. He went--and was practically endorsed by the Iraqi government. Then the press corps waited for him to make a mistake on the trip abroad--say something stupid, reverse a previous policy, get caught up in the landmine of Israeli-Palestinian politics. That didn't happened. So expectations got ratcheted up.

• Friday Capitol Letter The Nation - Fri Jul 25, 12:01 PM ET

  The Nation -- In the House ... The House passed legislation Wednesday that seeks to rescue the housing market, but also grants the Treasury Department authority to protect (read: bail out) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

• Obama Under the Microscope in Israel RealClearPolitics.com - Tue Jul 22, 10:30 AM ET

  Tomorrow, Barack Obama will step off his plane into Israel and under a microscope. While he is there, American voters - Jews, Evangelical Christians and others - who factor a presidential candidate's policies toward Israel into their electoral choice, will watch Obama's every step and listen to his every word very, very closely.

• Hard to Be Humble RealClearPolitics.com - Tue Jul 22, 11:30 AM ET

  For a while now, one of the strongest narratives working against Barack Obama has been the notion that he is an elitist and too full of himself.

• OBAMA HAS LANDED SAFELY Richard Reeves - 35 minutes ago

  PARIS -- This was one of four Obama headlines last Friday in Le Figaro, the conservative newspaper whose favorite conservative is President Nicolas Sarkozy:

• We Can't Handle the Truth The Weekly Standard - Fri Jul 25, 10:56 AM ET

  Washington (The Weekly Standard) Vol. 013, Issue 43 - 7/28/2008 - Former Texas senator Phil Gramm ran for president in 1996. He raised $20 million, spent nearly all of it, and won zero delegates. Political observers had long thought such a feat was impossible, and it remains astonishing even in hindsight. Recently we were reminded how he managed to pull it off.

• RECESSION, YEAR 8 Ted Rall - Thu Jul 24, 7:58 PM ET

  Bickering Over Terminology Delays Real Action

• A MEASURE OF JUSTICE MAY COME AT LAST IN SERBIA Georgie Anne Geyer - Thu Jul 24, 7:58 PM ET

  BELGRADE, Serbia -- The arrest of the wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, charged in the worst massacre since World War II, was an unlikely yet radical transformation in a country that had appeared to be headed on a path toward virulent nationalism and isolation." -- The New York Times, July 23, 2008

• Obama's Trip: Some Questions Katie, Brian and Charles Should Ask Larry Elder - Thu Jul 24, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - Q: Before your trip to Iraq, you said that you intend to give the military a "new mission" — all of the combat troops withdrawn within 16 months. Why bother traveling to Iraq and consulting with commanders on the ground, if you've already decided on a new mission?

• A Campaign Driven by Fear Robert Scheer - Thu Jul 24, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - Barack Obama is betraying his promise of change and is in danger of becoming just another political hack.

• Washington's Overrated "Old Hands" Joe Conason - Thu Jul 24, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - Barack Obama knows which countries border Iraq; he understands the difference between Shia and Sunni; and he is probably aware that Czechoslovakia no longer exists — but as John McCain complains, the young senator has "no military experience whatsoever." Indeed, like both of the last two presidents, Sen. Obama possesses scant credentials in national security and foreign policy.

• BUT WILL THEY RESPECT HIM IN THE MORNING? Ann Coulter - Wed Jul 23, 7:58 PM ET

  Back before the Republican Party was saddled with John McCain as its nominee, The New York Times called him "the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe." The paper praised him for "working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation" and predicted that he would appeal to "a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field."

• The Future of Iraq The Weekly Standard - Wed Jul 23, 12:58 PM ET

  Washington (The Weekly Standard) Vol. 013, Issue 43 - 7/28/2008 - BaghdadI have made four trips to Iraq since May 2007.

• Editorial Roundup AP - Wed Jul 23, 10:33 AM ET

  Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

• McCain Vs. "DESTINY" Brent Bozell III - Wed Jul 23, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - John McCain has figured out that one way to build enthusiasm among conservatives is to confront his former best friends in the liberal media. As the media glorify Barack Obama the "statesman" on his trip abroad, with the three network anchors lining up for interviews like a gaggle of smitten fan-club presidents, the McCain campaign suddenly acquired a surprising "Annoy The Media" flavor.

• The Man Who Could Topple Jack Murtha Michelle Malkin - Wed Jul 23, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - A jaw-dropping political miracle may be on the horizon. No, I'm not talking about the second coming of the Obamessiah. I'm talking about the long-deserved comeuppance of troop-smearing, pork-feasting, scandal-tainted Democratic Rep. Jack Murtha of Pennsylvania.

• Children in the Middle Susan Estrich - Wed Jul 23, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - Good news. Britney and K-Fed have a settlement! Their lawyers were back in court — again — last week to tell the judge in the long-running battle over custody of their two sons that they had agreed that K-Fed would retain custody, Britney would get more visitation, and she would also pay more.

• OBAMA FAKING IT Maggie Gallagher - Tue Jul 22, 7:58 PM ET

  Obama has a problem: What do you do when you're a lightly accomplished one-term senator, a former state legislator from Illinois, a Harvard law graduate who has no substantive record of accomplishments, and you are running against a war hero whom polls show that Americans overwhelmingly view as far more fit to be commander in chief?

• McCain's Presidential Transition Gaffe HuffingtonPost.com - Fri Jul 25, 9:34 AM ET

  There are many things about Sen. Barack Obama's campaign that seem presumptuous, not the least of which is his seal of office. But yesterday's announcement that he will soon launch a transition planning operation is not one of them.

Most Popular Opinion

• Our view on energy: Ethanol production soars, but its allure plummets USATODAY.com - Fri Jul 25, 12:22 AM ET

  For the past quarter-century, U.S. energy policy has been generally non-existent. To the extent there has been one, it has been to keep gasoline cheap. But one element stands out as a dramatic exception to this minimalist approach. Through a series of generous tax subsidies and production mandates, the use of corn-based ethanol has soared.

• OBAMA FAKING IT Maggie Gallagher - Tue Jul 22, 7:58 PM ET

  Obama has a problem: What do you do when you're a lightly accomplished one-term senator, a former state legislator from Illinois, a Harvard law graduate who has no substantive record of accomplishments, and you are running against a war hero whom polls show that Americans overwhelmingly view as far more fit to be commander in chief?

• Unrealistic Expectations for Obama The Nation - Fri Jul 25, 12:25 PM ET

  The Nation -- First the McCain campaign baited Barack Obama to visit Iraq. He went--and was practically endorsed by the Iraqi government. Then the press corps waited for him to make a mistake on the trip abroad--say something stupid, reverse a previous policy, get caught up in the landmine of Israeli-Palestinian politics. That didn't happened. So expectations got ratcheted up.