In a Washington Post op-ed Sunday, Shadi Hamid of the Project on Middle East Democracy considered the implications of Sen. Barack Obama’s speech on U.S. race relations last week for the Muslim world.

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Former Democratic candidate Bill Richardson will endorse Sen. Barack Obama today, the AP reports. Richardson is the country’s only Latino governor.

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“History teaches us that for a nation to remain a preeminent military power, it must remain a preeminent economic power. That is why it is so important to manage the costs of war wisely. This is a lesson that the first President Bush understood. The conduct of the Gulf War cost America less than $20 billion – what we pay in two months in Iraq today. That’s because that war was prosecuted on solid grounds, and in a responsible way, and with the support of allies, who paid most of the costs.”

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Sen. Hillary Clinton praised Gen. David Petraeus (NYT) Wednesday, calling him “an extraordinary leader and a wonderful advocate for our military.” At a town hall meeting in West Virginia, she also said she would build her plan to end the war on “the best military advice we can get.” She held a roundtable with veterans to discuss her plan to provide “affordable and quality health care for all veterans.”

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In a speech Wednesday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) outlined what he sees as the “lesson of Iraq.” He said that “when we are making decisions about matters as grave as war, we need a policy rooted in reason and facts, not ideology and politics.” Obama insisted the troop surge has not brought about political progress and has “badly overstretched” the U.S. military.

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“The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable – yet some in Washington still call for retreat. War critics can no longer credibly argue that we are losing in Iraq – so now they argue the war costs too much. In recent months we have heard exaggerated estimates of the costs of this war. No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost in lives and treasure – but those costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq.”

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“The stark truth is that America is not currently winning against Iran, and cannot win unless there is more Western unity behind an effective policy, rather than behind empty rhetoric and weak sanctions. The great challenge facing any presidential candidate is to show how he or she will galvanize Western strength and unity to achieve victory in the war against totalitarian Islamism.”

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Sen. John McCain has an op-ed in Wednesday’s Financial Times stressing the need for the United States to “strengthen our transatlantic alliance” with other democracies “to advance our values and defend our shared interests.” He says the United States must play an international leadership role and therefore must disavow torture, close the prison facilities at Guantanamo Bay, and find a solution to climate change.

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“I deplore the violent crackdown by Chinese authorities and the continuing oppression in Tibet of those merely wishing to practice their faith and preserve their culture and heritage. I have listened carefully to the Dalai Lama and am convinced he is a man of peace who reflects the hopes and aspirations of Tibetans. I urge the government of the People’s Republic of China to address the root causes of unrest in Tibet by opening a genuine dialogue with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.”

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In an interview that aired Monday night with the NewsHour, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) discussed U.S. economic tumult and his plan to withdraw troops from Iraq. He stressed the importance of effectively handling humanitarian issues in Iraq, noting his plan to create an internationally led commission “to monitor potential war crimes, to ensure that those who engage in them are prosecuted.”

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