Barack Obama's speech in Berlin gets love from liberal bloggers, while conservatives see it as more evidence of his arrogance. In Congressional races, both parties have candidates competing in tough races who could serve as prototypes for others, according to a conservative and a liberal blogger.

Obama seemed presidential during his speech while John McCain looked petulant for knocking Obama's overseas trip after having traveled abroad as a candidate himself, writes Daily Kos's DemFromCT. What Rush Limbaugh, who attacked the speech for failing to convey "American exceptionalism," doesn't understand is that Obama and his supporters' disappointment over the past eight years stems from the belief that the United States is exceptional and should be doing better, writes Todd Beeton at MyDD. Democrats shouldn't be concerned by the lack of a bounce in Obama's poll numbers; the political point of the trip was to have Obama audition for the part of president - a point he could refer to in the election's final weeks, according to TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall.

But many Americans, especially key Midwestern voters, could find the speech lacking in American pride and bordering on arrogance, Hugh Hewitt writes at Townhall.com. Obama's decision to cancel a visit with U.S. troops after his speaking to thousands of Germans reflects his misplaced priorities, according to Hot Air's Ed Morrissey. And though Obama has put much stock in his message of change, voters see him as risky and could be poised to vote for the safer choice, McCain, during these times of uncertainty, suggests Townhall's Carol Platt Liebau.

Democrat Ronnie Musgrove, who is virtually tied with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in their Senate race, may not become the most reliable Democratic vote, but his victory would show Republicans that they no longer have a lock on seats anywhere, writes MyDD's Jonathan Singer. Republican Lou Barletta, who is running against Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), could prove to his party that a charismatic candidate with a fiscally conservative, anti-illegal immigration message can win in a blue collar, Democratic-leaning district, writes RedState's Soren Dayton.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Obama Not Arrogant or Presumptuous - DemFromCT, Daily Kos
Barack, Rush and I - Todd Beeton, MyDD
Long-Term Benefit of Trip Abroad - Josh Marshall, TPM
The BBQ Media Wants Obama to Win? - Bob Cesca, Huffington Post
Obama's Pride in Berlin - Hugh Hewitt, Townhall.com
Why Obama Snubbed the Troops - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Polls and Irrational Exuberance - Peter Kirsanow, The Corner
Obama: The 'Riskier' Choice - Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
Bush Also Addresses U.S. Role in World - S.L. Myers, The Caucus
Miss. Sen. Well Within Range for Dems - Jonathan Singer, MyDD
Seeing the Future in Lou Barletta - Soren Dayton, RedState

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama's Path to Presidency Far From Clear - L.A. Times
McCain May Act Soon on VP Pick - Washington Post
Obama, in Berlin, Calls for Renewal of Ties w/ Allies - NYT
Obama, Vague on Issues, Pleases Crowd in Europe - NYT

The John McCain campaign attack at the media for going too soft on Barack Obama has unleashed the Republican's blogging backers, who take up the fight. Obama's online supporters focus on the Democrat's trip abroad and what it could mean for the United States' standing in the world. Meanwhile, as Congressional Democrats move along their housing bill, conservative bloggers wonder why Republicans haven't been able to succeed with domestic oil drilling.

Time magazine's Joe Klein is wrong to slam McCain's remark that Obama would lose the Iraq war to win an election since the Democrat has been talking about a withdrawal without victory for several years, writes RedState's Dan McLaughlin. Obama didn't make much sense when he said he would oppose the surge today even knowing what he knows now, yet the "compliant press" has failed to follow up on his comment with targeted questions, according to The Corner's Peter Kirsanow. McCain, however, has long benefited from the press, so it's "about time" that pundits turn on him, notes MyDD's Todd Beeton.

Though Obama is receiving rave reviews for his trip abroad, he and McCain have a chance to improve attitudes toward the United States and the country's national security merely by not being George W. Bush, writes The Huffington Post's Marty Kaplan. But that doesn't mean there won't be speed bumps; Obama received both cheers from the crowd and jeers from a heckler during his trip to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, reports ABC's Jake Tapper on Political Punch.

Republicans in Congress should have forced Democrats to put domestic offshore oil drilling on the table during the housing bill debate, which Democrats won without giving up much in return, writes The Corner's Andy McCarthy. Drilling is getting much support from T. Boone Pickens, the Republican donor whom the liberal The New York Times editorial board may have mistaken for an ally in the fight for renewable energy sources, Power Line's John Hinderaker writes.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Obama's Losing Bet on Defeat in Iraq - D. McLaughlin, RedState
Bizarro World of Obama and Surge - P. Kirsanow, The Corner
Much Iraq Support for Obama's Plan? - P. Yousefzadeh, RedState
McCain's Losing His 'Base' - Todd Beeton, MyDD
McCain, Timelines, Freedom for Iraq - mcjoan, Daily Kos
'Ich Bin Ein Amerikaner' - Marty Kaplan, Huffington Post
Obama Visits Wall, Hears Psalm, Heckling - J. Tapper, Political Punch
Puzzling Republicans on Housing Bill - A. McCarthy, The Corner
T. Boone For Drilling, Not for NYT - John Hinderaker, Power Line
Rep. Kirk's Campaign Stupid or Despicable? - brownsox, Daily Kos
For Better or Worse, Florida's Back - Nate Silver, The Plank
Poll & VP - Jerome Armstrong, MyDD
Novak: Speed Demon - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Huge Housing Bill Set to Become Law - Washington Post
Voter Unease About Obama Lingers Despite Lead - Wall Street Journal
Obama Working to Ensure Jewish Vote - Washington Post
Dems Rack Up Wins - The Hill

John McCain's new tactic of attacking the press for its so-called positive coverage of Barack Obama failed once before, when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) tried it, bloggers write. McCain is also getting hammered by liberal bloggers for his latest statement about the surge, while Obama is reminded by a conservative that the surge debate isn't settled. And in congressional elections, the Democrats continue their strong fundraising and now have another reason to think that they can win a House seat in Alaska, their supporters online write.

McCain is emulating Clinton with a new video painting the press as being in the tank for Obama, even though Clinton's attacks fell flat, writes MyDD's Todd Beeton. Instead of getting angry at Obama and the press, McCain should stick to his domestic themes and be confident in the knowledge that he knows the military better than Obama, writes The Corner's Victor Davis Hanson. But The Next Right's Patrick Ruffini writes that McCain will benefit from taking on the media, which he courted in the past but has yet to help him during the campaign.

McCain was wrong when he said on CBS that the surge caused Sunnis in Anbar to turn against al Qaeda, writes the Huffington Post's Seth Colter Walls, who notes that the "Anbar Awakening" preceded the U.S. troop increase. The larger point of McCain's mistake is that it shows the Republican's lack of understanding of the surge, which increased the U.S. troop presence in Baghdad, not Anbar, writes Matthew Yglesias. But even though Obama may be benefiting politically from Iraqi support for a withdrawal timetable, the Democrat still gets the surge wrong by continuing to oppose it, writes The Corner's Peter Wehner.

The Democratic campaign committees for the House and Senate now have a combined $100 million in cash on hand, which is triple the amount that their Republican counterparts have, writes MyDD's Jonathan Singer. And in Alaska's lone House race, Democrats may get to face their preferred candidate, Rep. Don Young (R), instead of Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell (R), who could be hurt by Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) decision to fire a former brother-in-law, writes kos.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Should Tell McCain that Hillary Lost - T. Beeton, MyDD
Hillaryitis - Victor Davis Hanson, The Corner
Finally Taking on The Media - P. Ruffini, The Next Right
McCain Gets Surge History Wrong - S.C. Walls, HuffPo
McCain's Surge of Time Travel - Matthew Yglesias
McCain Can't Decide if We're Winning - T. Beeton, MyDD
Obama and the Surge - Peter Wehner, The Corner
Maliki's Endorsement Not Lost in Trans. - Z. Krieger, The Plank
Palin Scandal Shakes Up House Race - kos, Daily Kos
Dem Campaign Cmtes. Hit $100M - J. Singer, MyDD
Obama Prints German-Language Flyers - P. Ruffini, Next Right
Edwards, Busted - Mickey Kaus, kausfiles
DNC's Denver Gas Tax Holiday - A. Carpenter, Townhall
Trouble on the Home Front - Nate Silver, The Plank
Paul Casts a Larger Shadow (Convention) - S. Wheaton, The Caucus

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Health Plan From Obama Spurs Debate - New York Times
Obama Shifts the Foreign Policy Debate - Washington Post
After Visit, Obama Defends Iraq Plan - Washington Post