If Barack Obama wins the White House in November, we may well look back on this week as the turning point when he started to ease lingering doubts about his readiness to lead America. American voters have seen a stream of images from Europe and the Middle East showing a confident Obama looking every bit like a head of state while mingling with international leaders.

"He couldn't have had a better week, at least according to the press coverage. If there's a negative, I don't see it," acknowledged David Johnson, a Republican consultant and member of John McCain's Florida steering committee. "He had a hole in his resume that he needed to fill, but only time will tell how well this plays out."

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