(News from various sources: The Israeli paper Maariv obtains the note Obama left at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and puts a photograph of it on its front page. The handwriting, beneath the letterhead of the King David Hotel, does appear to be Obama’s. Visitors traditionally stick notes of prayer into the wall. The note says:

Lord,

Protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins and help me guard against pride and despair.

Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just.

And make me an instrument of your will.

The paper reports that the note was taken by a yeshiva student who was at the wall at the time — a mark of how virtually nothing remains private. The rabbi of the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, condemned its publication)

Neocon reactions… overheard by my roving ears…

Rush Limbaugh: Folks, you won’t believe this!! This funny negro, Obama, has actually sinned in his lifetime and the liberal media has never reported it!!!

Sean Hannity: There is worse Rush! He is praying to be protected against pride and despair. That surely means he is humanly vulnerable to those negative attributes!

Lou Dobbs: I’ am not out to get him but he prays for wisdom in Israel. Outside of the shores of the United States! Can’t you guys see that any wisdom that comes to him in answer to that prayer would be a foreigner? He wants wisdom that is not American! Holy cow! An immigrant from Kenya wants immigrant wisdom from Israel! We can’t have that combination in the White House.

Bill O’Reilly: He wants to be right and just. That’s completely presumptuous and arrogant, if you ask me. Only citizens of the no spin zone are just and righteous.

Laura Ingraham: I can’t believe this negro! He asks for everything except patriotism! Is patriotism not the only virtue any patriotic American should pray for?

Karl Rove: I don’t know how to say this without risking charges of anti-semitism. But I’ll say it. He is in Israel asking to be the instrument of the will of their Lord. Since it is Israel, that Lord cannot possibly be Jesus Christ. Here in America, our lord and savior is the one and only Jesus Christ. Can’t you guys see he has renounced Christ? Anyway, he is only converting to Judaism from Islam. I never really believed for a second he’s a Christian.

Ann Coulter: Folks, what are we waiting for? Let’s send these talking points to the McCain campaign!