USATODAY.com - In January 2007, America's adventure in Iraq seemed like a chaotic failure. The country was riven with sectarian violence, and al-Qaeda in Iraq had gained a foothold in western Anbar province. Attacks on U.S. troops were running well over 1,000 a week, and Iraqi civilians were dying at a rate of more than 3,000 a month.

Maggie Gallagher - 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?

Ted Rall - Bickering Over Terminology Delays Real Action

USATODAY.com - 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.

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

Larry Elder - Q: Before your trip to Iraq, you said that you intend to give the military a "new mission" — all of the combat troops withdrawn within 16 months.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?

Ann Coulter - 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."

USATODAY.com - Our reliance on foreign oil is driving up all consumer prices today, including food. Americans know this. They know that soaring oil prices are increasing the cost of everything from apples to Pampers. Oil is used on the farm, in transportation, processing and packaging everything in the grocery store.

USATODAY.com - "For investors, I'll just repeat the timeless advice of master investor Warren Buffett: 'Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.' "

The Nation - The Nation -- It might be Fox News' worst nightmare: liberal bloggers and black hip hop.

The Christian Science Monitor - Common wisdom dictates that the vice president should provide balance to the ticket by representing a different part of the country, another set of experiences, or a basketful of electoral votes.

USATODAY.com - Lame-duck presidents traditionally turn to foreign policy as power ebbs from them at home, and George W. Bush is no exception. What's remarkable about the Bush administration's final year, however, is how different it is from its earlier ones.

The Nation - 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.

The Christian Science Monitor - China has more people online than any other country. But its rulers are also world-class obstructors of the Internet, a practice sure to be under scrutiny during the Olympic Games, when foreigners used to Web freedom will visit Beijing.

RealClearPolitics.com - 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.

USATODAY.com - Recent events have demonstrated clearly that Barack Obama's judgment on Iraq is right. Now, it's time to heed that judgment so that we can successfully end the war while refocusing on the fight in Afghanistan.

Brent Bozell III - 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.

Ann Coulter - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, or as she is called on the Big Dogs blog, "the worst speaker in the history of Congress," explained the cause of high oil prices back in 2006: "We have two oilmen in the White House. The logical follow-up from that is $3-a-gallon gasoline. It is no accident. It is a cause and effect. A cause and effect."

Joe Conason - 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.