Most of you probably know this, so consider this a friendly reminder. When you see a direct quote from someone that includes ellipses in the middle somewhere (or splits the quote in another way), be cautious and turn up the dial on your BS meter. Otherwise, you could get fooled by reporters who create this surprising quote:

Inside, according to a witness, he told the House members, “This is the moment . . . that the world is waiting for,” adding: “I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.”

out of the more humble, more expected, and far less controversial:

It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign, that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all. It’s about America. I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.

I’ve seen variations of criticism of this particular story around various blogs today, but the bottom line is that the ellipses obscured the pretty clear statement that he was being humble, not arrogant. Matt Yglesias puts it clearest, so I’ve cribbed from him.

Besides, quite frankly, he’s right. This isn’t about Barack Obama the man but about the vision he’s put forward of a better America. It is all about America.

Update: oops, clarified a bit in the first paragraph.