Obama brings his pen on vacation

Barack Obama may be taking a few days off from campaigning, but don't think he's trying to keep out of the news.

For the second time in two days, Obama has penned an op-ed in a major publication outlining his views on a pressing issue. Today, it's a piece in The New York Daily News urging Congress to pass a bill that would increase pressure on the Iranian government. Obama again returns to the argument that the United States must be willing to negotiate with countries such as Iran, a source of debate between him and Hillary Clinton in recent weeks. "It's time to turn the page on a failed foreign policy," he writes. "It's time for strong diplomacy backed by common-sense measures that pressure the Iranian regime." Read the full piece here.

Yesterday, Obama had an op-ed in The Financial Times on the mortgage lending crisis, calling for sanctions on unscrupulous lenders. "If we are serious about stopping this crisis and preventing much larger turmoil in US housing markets, Washington needs to stop acting like an industry advocate and start acting like a public advocate," he wrote. Read the full piece here.

Other Democrats campaigning for the presidency have also seized on the lending crisis.