Obama Show Coming to Europe, Mideast

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s trip to the Middle East has established even higher standards for his presidency, Politico reports. Obama is using his global celebrity to restart Israel-Palestine talks and improve relations between the West and the Muslim world, proving he’s “not a president who has ever shied away from setting high expectations, and then trying to meet them,” a White House official says. More»

No reason for contrition in GOP pundit's mind

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has finished his "international confession tour," and Karl Rove can’t figure out what it was supposed to accomplish. After his public apologies on two continents, "our adversaries rejoiced," Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal. David Axelrod swears this will yield “very, very valuable” rewards later. Rove’s question: “Like what?” More»

(NEWSER) - Barack and Michelle Obama set off this morning for Great Britain, the first stop in an ambitious European tour centered on the G-20 meeting Thursday. Obama will be pushing a hefty agenda on this trip, Reuters reports, championing proposals to bring greater international regulatory oversight to hedge funds and “too big to fail” institutions. He'll also be seeking support for more stimulus for the global economy, and more troops and resources for his new Afghanistan strategy. More»

'Core point' correct that president will be tested no matter who wins

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama sought to blunt criticism of Joe Biden today, saying that though his running mate “engages in rhetorical flourishes,” he was right in saying “the next administration is going to be tested, regardless of who it is,” reports the Chicago Tribune. Critics in the McCain campaign had used Biden’s prediction of imminent international crises to underscore Obama’s foreign-policy inexperience. More»

Foreigners on board for 'change'

(NEWSER) - Americans may be divided over the presidential election, but the world clearly prefers Barack Obama, Melinda Brouwer writes on AlterNet. Here's why:

1. Other nations share Obama’s desire for change in US policy, "and want him to make good on it."
2. Unlike John McCain, Obama "represents the antithesis of the current president. That part doesn't get lost in translation."
3. Electing an African American shows the US is tolerant and mature—qualities it claims to possess and "that people abroad want it to possess."