We have a financial crisis that threatens our economy -- that's clear. But what's preoccupying me and a lot of Americans today is that the events of the past few days also have revealed a political crisis of confidence we face that may be even more dire and longer-lasting.
In New York this week, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced a slew of questions about Iran's lack of cooperation with U.N. inspectors, belligerent threats to Isreal, and Iran's future as a U.N.-defying nuclear power.
"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" Any minute now I expect Sen. Barack Obama to break out in a chorus of this childhood classic.
Among likely voters, John McCain now leads Barack Obama by 10 percentage points, according to Gallup.