Barack Obama's Excellent Adventure

Senator Barack Obama, needing to prove he's a viable presidential candidate by garnering a few foreign policy credentials, took a whirlwind tour of Europe, the Middle East, and the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan--with network news anchors Katie Couric, Brian Williams and Charles Gibson along for part of the ride.

Like Bono or Bruce Springsteen, Obama played to huge crowds (200,000 in Berlin!) everywhere he went. He even found time to squeeze in a word or two with a few world leaders. Not bad for a presidential candidate who hasn't been nominated or elected yet.

Meanwhile, back in the States, Republican challenger John McCain was shouting "Hey! I'm over here!" to anyone who would listen. It turns out he really should have taken the week off.

The Arizona senator went on about how Obama refuses to admit that things are actually getting better with the troop surge in Iraq (the jury's still out on that one), doesn't visit wounded soldiers because the Pentagon wouldn't let him bring in cameras (the Illinois senator said he didn't want to politicize their plight), and how he'd rather win an election instead of a war. All this while commenting on the "Iraq-Pakistan" border, and on countries like Czechoslovakia, which ceased to exist years ago.

On Obama's return home, we find the lead he once had in the polls in battleground states such as Minnesota and Michigan is melting away. Is it because McCain's message of essentially staying the course in Iraq is connecting with the voters? Is it because Obama's been acting less like a candidate, and more like the presumptive president-elect?

Or is it the effect of negative campaigning from McCain and his surrogates? If that's true, taking the high road in the age of Karl Rove may end up costing Obama the election in November. Then he'll have to pay for his own tickets the next time he wants to go overseas.