Obama walked tightrope in speech
The Daily Star
Oneonta, N.Y.

On Tuesday night, a somber President Barack Obama announced the end of combat operations for American forces in Iraq.
It was clear in the Oval Office speech to the nation that the president was walking a verbal tightrope.
He described an end to a war that hasn’t really ended, one that he never wanted to occur in the first place, yet one that he has had to lead since January 2009.

Anger is unlikely to resolve problems
The Free Press
Mankato, Minn.

Economic stress, politics devoid of hope and the dangers of taking an airplane on vacation have acted to push the thermometer of the American psyche into a pan of boiling water.

More Americans are angry, and like Howard Beale in the 1976 movie Network, “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.”

Unfortunately, this trend of public affairs-induced anger comes at a time when reasoned solutions to the country’s daunting problems are needed more than ever.

Sports icons take a tumble
The Salem News
Salem, Mass.

The higher you soar, the longer and harder the fall.
Two American sports icons — Roger Clemens and Tiger Woods — are learning that lesson this summer. They've garnered a ton of publicity for all the wrong reasons.
Clemens, the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, was indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about his involvement with steroids and human growth hormone. He's in the most trouble, facing a possible jail term if found guilty.

Uncertain Iraq
New Castle News
New Castle, Pa.

With the withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq, America now enters a breath holding phase.

No one is quite sure what will happen next. Violence in the country has declined markedly in the past few years, as terrorist groups have been neutralized.

But the bombings have not stopped. With the drawdown of U.S. forces, most of the targets have been Iraqis themselves. This has allowed America’s attention — such as it is — to turn from Iraq to the growing uncertainty in Afghanistan.

'Ground zero mosque' an unfair target
The Tonawanda News
North Tonawanda, N.Y.

New Yorkers and all Americans — not the least of them gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino — need to take a deep breath and get some of their facts straight before spouting off on the so-called “Ground Zero mosque.”

First, the facts: The mosque isn’t being built on the place where the World Trade Center once stood. It’s being built two blocks from there. The proposed site for the mosque isn’t even visible from the former Twin Towers location. It is, simply, in the same neighborhood.