The Devil Went Down To Georgia

Every time I go on vacation, something blows up somewhere.  Usually it's on Northern's campus.  This time it's in the once and maybe future Russian possession, Georgia.  Here is John McCain's first response:

Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations and withdraw all forces from sovereign Georgian territory.

Here is Barack Obama's first response, from his website:

I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an immediate end to armed conflict. Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full scale war. Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected. All sides should enter into direct talks on behalf of stability in Georgia, and the United States, the United Nations Security Council, and the international community should fully support a peaceful resolution to this crisis. 

The difference?  McCain says something: he identifies the aggressor, and demands a specific remedy.  Obama says almost nothing, except for that bit about Georgia's territorial integrity.  But from this, you couldn't tell which party is threatening it.  Obama condemns only the impersonal "outbreak of violence". 

If you like Obama, you'd probably argue that he was just being cautious and nuanced, as opposed to shooting from the hip.  But then, according to Reuters, he decided to start shooting too.

I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an immediate end to armed conflict. Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full scale war. Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected. All sides should enter into direct talks on behalf of stability in Georgia, and the United States, the United Nations Security Council, and the international community should fully support a peaceful resolution to this crisis.

The first response tells us something about Obama; the second, about Obama's political calculations.  It is better, he concluded, to sound like McCain.  For more on McCain's response, see the excellent coverage at Powerline.