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.

• McCain Camp Slams Obama on Troops and "Fawning" Foreigners The Nation - Sat Jul 26, 6:35 PM ET

  The Nation -- The McCain Campaign has finally found its line of attack against Barack Obama's widely heralded global tour.

• 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.

• 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.

• ANOTHER VACATION SLIPS THROUGH OUT FINGERS David Shribman - 2 hours, 20 minutes ago

  HART'S LOCATION, N.H. -- There are only a few days left.

• OBAMA HAS LANDED SAFELY Richard Reeves - Fri Jul 25, 7:58 PM ET

  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.

• George Bush's Unrequited Love Mona Charen - Fri Jul 25, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - What will George W. Bush be remembered for? If, as Clare Boothe Luce argued, every president gets just one sentence in the history books, then President Bush's will certainly concern the war on terror and Iraq.

• Are Newspapers Dying? Susan Estrich - Fri Jul 25, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - The Sunday opinion section is gone. So is the book review section. So are literally hundreds of the reporters I have come to respect over years of reading my local paper. What is happening in my hometown is happening in every city across the country. Layoffs. Cutbacks. Slow death.

• Odds on Favorite, Maybe Not Linda Chavez - Fri Jul 25, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - The professional odds-makers favor Barack Obama two-to-one to win the election.

• Honorable Exit From Empire Pat Buchanan - Fri Jul 25, 3:00 AM ET

  Creators Syndicate - As any military historian will testify, among the most difficult of maneuvers is the strategic retreat. Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, Lee's retreat to Appomattox and MacArthur's retreat from the Yalu come to mind. The British Empire abandoned India in 1947 — and a Muslim-Hindu bloodbath ensued.

• 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

• 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.

• 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?

• 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.

• 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.

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

  Bickering Over Terminology Delays Real Action

• 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?