Just because Obama may say something that is not politically correct does not mean that he does not have a good grasp of foreign affairs. Moreover, I think your citation of Senator Obama is contextually ambiguous. Most Republican pundits have claimed that Obama was slamming our troops. I think it is important to mention that Obama is talking about Afghanistan in that statement, where Western troops have killed more civilians than the insurgents. According to an August 1, Associated Press count, militants killed 231 civilians in attacks in 2007, Western forces killed 286. Another 20 were killed in crossfire that can't be attributed to one party. So yes, it is "causing enormous pressure over there." So in regard to the conflict in Afghanistan, maybe Obama actually knows more than his Democratic and Republican challengers as well as the Republican pundits about foreign affairs. I also think that if finding Bin Laden means going into Pakistan without local permission, than so be it. The original purpose of the War in Afghanistan, unlike the superfluous War in Iraq, was to bring those who were responsible for the attacks on our country to justice; and maybe Obama realizes that, unlike Clinton and Edwards and the Republicans who voted in favor of giving authorization to go into Iraq.

As to wheter America is ready for a female or African American president, I guess we'll find that out on election day.