The candidates take strikingly different lines on Georgia, with McCain condemning the Russian "invasion of Georgia," as the headline of his statement read, and Obama — like the White House — calling for restraint from both sides.
As an editor points out, early reports suggest that Georgia — not Russia — first escalated the conflict, sending its troops into the disputed region after border skirmishes. So McCain's casting Russia's move as an invasion flows from his hard-line stance on the conflict in the first place, which is that South Ossetia belongs to Georgia, and that Russia has no right to meddle, even when Georgia sends in the tanks.
Obama seems to take a similar line, saying "Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected," but there's a clear difference in the two candidates' reaction to a serious foreign policy challenge here. This conflict is an echo of the Cold War, and the two are in postures familiar from that era: McCain thinks the Russians will respond only to strength and threats; Obama puts more stock in diplomacy and nuance.
By Ben Smith 12:13 PM
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/The_candidates_on_Georgia.html
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