In his sermon to the Germans, Barack Obama presents himself both as Barack the Baptist and the Obamessiah. Nevertheless, Americans naturally root for for the underdog to prevail. For pride to take a fall. Don't we instinctively seek to puncture the grandiose pretensions of a blowhard? It seems to me that this is the question that Obama's speech elicits.

And one more question. I wonder if Americans will appreciate Obama's deprecation of the United States on foreign soil for his own self-aggrandizing purposes. Surely one does not need to be a conservative Republican to recoil from this display.

In an interview yesterday with Senator Obama, ABC’s Terry Moran listed just a few of the by now seemingly endless data points demonstrating that the so-called surge, which Obama opposed at the time it was announced, is a success. Moran then asked this (excellent) question: Knowing what you know now, would you support the surge?â€

Obama’s answer was, “No.â€

This must surely rank as among the most misinformed, ideological, and reckless statements by a presidential candidate in modern times. The McCain campaign should do everything they can to make Obama pay a high price for it. That one word answer, “No,†should be advertised in bright neon lights. It should become Exhibit A that Obama not only doesn’t have the “judgment to lead;†he has now supplied us with evidence that few people possess judgment as flawed as his.

As you can see, I have asked ______ to join me in the task of governing this great nation, and in governing it from a belief in its greatness, not in its guilt.  Together we are going to lead this nation into a second American century, one even greater than the last, one that builds on our great Constitutional order and our long standing commitment to freedom at home and its expansion around the world.

When I made this decision --perhaps the most important decision any president can make as so much potentially hangs on the individual one-heartbeat away from the Oval Office, I had to put politics aside.  Many unpaid advisors in the media wanted me to think about putting this state being in play, or that demographic being mobilized.  But I had to think about the country first --who could step in and step up if needed.

_________ is that individual.  I will tell you why in a moment, but let me underscore what the voters should take away from this announcement.

My Administration will be run by seasoned executives with the capacity to make hard choices and to get things done.  This is not the time for amateurs, and American Idol needs to stay on television, not in the government.  We won't be interested in pleasing the press or scoring political points.  These are very dangerous times, and the threat from our enemies, though forgotten by many and downplayed by others, is real and in some respects growing.  Our economy is strong but buffeted by the price of oil, and our entitlement programs and our spending addiction put us on a collision course with fiscal reality.

We have to change the way we do business in Washington.  We have to be serious about the problems in front of us.  We have to be prepared to make hard choices and do difficult things.  We have to act, and do so in the best interests of all Americans, not this or that special interest group of trial lawyers, or Hollywood elites, or public employee unions.

Here's the bottom line: As my running mate I have selected an individual far better prepared to be president than my opponent is.  ________ is ready to be vice president on day one and president if the need ever arose.  _____ has the experience in executive decision making that is necessary to avoid terrible mistakes than can cost lives and shake economies.  And, crucially, _______ believes in this country's essential greatness and essential goodness.  Together we are going to cross this country reminding its voters that we cannot set sail to our fears, as Ronald Reagan used to say.  We believe in the future, we believe in our ability to defend ourselves and our friends around the globe, and we believe that we can meet the essential challenge of finding the energy we need top fuel the growth that will benefit not just America but the entire globe.

A U.S. decision to bend policy and sit down with Iran at nuclear talks fizzled Saturday, with Iran stonewalling Washington and five other world powers on their call to freeze uranium enrichment.

In response, the six gave Iran two weeks to respond to their demand, setting the stage for a new round of U.N. sanctions.

Iran's refusal to consider suspending enrichment was an indirect slap at the United States, which had sent Undersecretary of State William Burns to the talks in hopes the first-time American presence would encourage Tehran into making concessions.

Officials and diplomats refused to characterize the timeframe as an ultimatum, but it appeared clear that Iran now has a de-facto deadline to show flexibility.

We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.

Obama’s response to the event was published on September 19th in the Hyde Park Herald:

Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families, I must also hope that we as a nation draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy. Certain immediate lessons are clear, and we must act upon those lessons decisively. We need to step up security at our airports. We must reexamine the effectiveness of our intelligence networks. And we must be resolute in identifying the perpetrators of these heinous acts and dismantling their organizations of destruction.

We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity and suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent, is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.

We will have to make sure, despite our rage, that any U.S. military action takes into account the lives of innocent civilians abroad. We will have to be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle Eastern descent. Finally, we will have to devote far more attention to the monumental task of raising the hopes and prospects of embittered children across the globe—children not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and within our own shores.  

HH: Now talk to us a little bit, we take so granted our free political press and the benefits it gives us, and the pleasure it gives us, and the outlet it provides us. What’s the media like in Iraq right now? 

FK: Oh, the media is ferocious in Iraq. I mean, there are lots of media outlets, there’s free press. Most of the outlets, as in America, reflect one view or another, or one party or another. But there are enough of them that, and Iraqis can get them all, that they can get a pretty full picture. And there’s very vibrant political discourse, and there’s lots of arguments and name calling, and all the kind of stuff that we would be very familiar with. But the other thing about Iraq that’s found is when you fly over an Iraqi village, and it’s four mud huts on the ground, two of them will have satellite dishes. 

The Globe.com article quoted legal experts who said it appears that if McCain, like the Democratic candidate Barack Obama, reversed his position and opted out of federal campaign financing, Romney as a running mate could donate or loan the campaign an unlimited amount of his own fortune.