Merkel gave a better performance than expected. There were big questions whether she was ready for prime time and those appear to have been put to rest.

It was an irresponsible attempt to drive undecided voters into Merkel's camp by appealing to xenophobic sentiment against Turks living in Germany.

The reform program is not about the next few years, but being able to maintain our society for the next generation. We may well lose years in the reform process, and we can't afford to lose any time.

That's what big-time players do. They put teams on their shoulders, and he hit some big shots tonight.

Any time you play a good opponent in your opener it's good to get out with a win. Obviously, we've got a lot of things to work on. But the defense made some big plays. With (John) Pemberton, (Michael) Phillips and (Brandon) Walker inside, we're pretty good.

He's really stepped up his performance. He'll just have to take it one match at a time.