John McCain calling the conflict between Russia and Georgia the first "serious crisis" in international politics since the Cold War has liberal bloggers befuddled. Despite anticipation Barack Obama

John McCain

The Bush administration's announcement of a new missile defense deal with Poland as Russia is waging war splits bloggers, who see it as appropriate or rash. John McCain's response to the Russia-Georgia situation has also gone too far for liberal bloggers. And the Republican is taking heat from singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, who doesn't want him to use one of his songs, bloggers note.

With the missile defense deal, Poland will have expectations that the United States will provide security against Russian aggression, writes Hot Air's Allahpundit. Those expectations will force Democrats, the likely party in power for the next few years, to decide whether they're willing to stand up to the Kremlin, the blogger adds. But the announcement of the missile deal now will merely provoke Russia and won't help reduce tensions in the Caucusus, writes Jeralyn at TalkLeft.

McCain, in responding to the Georgian crisis, has gone far beyond what's appropriate for a normal presidential candidate by working against the efforts of the current president, sending his own diplomatic delegation and staying in phone contact with the crisis's key players, writes Josh Marshall at TalkingPointsMemo. But McCain's response will become his closing argument against Barack Obama, since it will highlight the Republican's experience and Obama's naivete more than any ad about celebrity would, according to The Next Right's Patrick Ruffini.

Browne is suing McCain for using "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad, even though the spot in question was produced by the Ohio Republican Party, notes Geoff Boucher at Top of the Ticket. Browne, however, is at least showing self-respect, writes Firedoglake's Attaturk, who suggests that the artist call House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to tell her what it feels like to stand up for oneself.

FROM THE BLOGS:
How Does Missile Defense Sound? - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Context: U.S. Strikes Missile Deal With Poland - Jeralyn, TalkLeft
The Difference Between U.S. and Russia - C.P. Liebau, Townhall.com
Georgia as The New Celeb - Patrick Ruffini, The Next Right
The Washington Squares - Attaturk, Firedoglake
More Like It - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
McCain Proves Dangerous to U.S. Interests - Taylor Marsh
Browne Sues McCain - G. Boucher, Top of the Ticket
Browne V. GOP and McCain - Eureka Springs, Firedoglake
Browne Sues GOP and McCain Campaign - Sam Stein, HuffPo

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Donors Pick Up Convention Tab - USA Today
Russia Enraged By Poland Deal - New York Times
GOP Loyalty Not a Given for Evangelicals - Washington Post

A study showing that military voters donated to Barack Obama at a rate of six-to-one over John McCain undermines the GOP presidential candidate

A possible deal to put Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) up for a nomination vote at her party

John McCain's decision to send two of his closest allies to Georgia is receiving grudging praise from bloggers on left but surprising skepticism from a blogger on the right. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has sharp words for one McCain buddy, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), liberal bloggers note. And possible centrist veep picks get blasted by online backers of both candidates.

McCain, who will send Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Lieberman to Georgia, is using the Russian invasion to his political advantage while his opponent, Barack Obama, is on vacation, writes Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher. The trip by two of McCain's closest colleagues seems designed to shoulder President Bush aside as the primary Republican leader, writes TPM Election Central's Greg Sargent. But a mission by senators, who can receive State and Defense department briefings, appears to be an attempt to squeeze a photo op out of a crisis that the White House doesn't need distractions on, writes Hot Air's Allahpundit.

Now that Pelosi has said that Lieberman's standing within the Senate Democratic caucus is in danger, maybe Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will firm up and give a similar statement, writes Josh Orton at MyDD. Pelosi, who knocked Lieberman only after he criticized Obama's patriotism, should have been criticizing the former Democrat earlier, writes Firedoglake's Hamsher.

McCain's statement in an interview that he'd consider a pro-choice running mate such as former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R) prompts Michelle Malkin to urge her pro-life readers to let McCain know what they think. And though kos thinks that the boomlet for Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) as a possible Obama veep may be a way to make Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) seem more palatable to liberals, a text message announcing either of them as the pick would make many Obama backers hurl their cell phones against the wall.

FROM THE BLOGS:
McCain's Got The Stage and He's Using It - J. Hamsher, Firedoglake
McCain to Send Lieberman, Graham to Georgia - G. Sargent, TPM EC
McCain: Lieberman, Graham to Georgia - Allahpundit, Hot Air
McCain: 'Nations Don't Invade Other Nations' - smintheus, Daily Kos
Pelosi Questions Lieberman's Standing - Josh Orton, MyDD
Pelosi Smacks Lieberman Around - Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake
McCain Floats VP Pro-Choice Trial Balloon - Michelle Malkin
McCain's Pro-Choice Trial Balloon? - Chris Cillizza, The Fix
Bayh? Kaine? - kos, Daily Kos

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
McCain Won't Rule Out Pro-Choice Running Mate - Weekly Standard
Democrats Pick Warner as Keynote Speaker - Washington Post
Charismatic Gov. Kaine Rises to Short List - New York Times
Pelosi Joins Dems Softening Stance on Drilling - Los Angeles Times

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili dealt a blow to John McCain's foreign credentials by saying McCain needed to move from "words to deeds" Monday, liberal bloggers say. Conservatives celebrate a new Pew Research poll showing McCain and Barack Obama in a draw and bloggers express shock and outrage over the shooting death of Arkansas Democratic Chairman Bill Gwatney.

McCain has been highly presumptuous in his freelance foreign policy actions with Georgia, and Saakashvili called him on it, Josh Marshall writes. Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher blasts McCain for trying to take owneship of an issue that "was triggered by a bunch of US neocon saber rattling."
The new Pew poll shows that McCain has closed a lot of ground on Obama indicating that the GOP presidential candidates negative ads may be working, The Swamp writes. Hot Air's Ed Morrissey takes the poll as a sign that Obama's support is eroding, pointing out that Obama's support has remained steady with core Democratic groups but slipping among swing voters.

Gwatney died at the hospital after three shots rang out inside the Arkansas Democratic headquarters, Think Progress reports. Conservative blogger Allahpundit is concerned that that some will look for political motivation behind the shooting, even though the shooter may just be "garden variety wacko."

FROM THE BLOGS:
Is This What I Paid for? - Josh Marshall, TPM
McCain Pulls into a Draw - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Georgian President to McCain: Just Words - Political Ticker
The Colbert Bump - Wonkette
Rush Limbaugh: Murderer - Erick Erickson, RedState
Club for Growth Hammers Don Young - The Next Right
Bush Bashes Congress, Takes Vacation - Think Progress
McCain and Obama Even - The Swamp

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Bush Sends Aid to Georgia - New York Times
Jesse Jackson's Convention Streak in Doubt - The Hill
Ark. Dem Party Chair Shot, Killed - AFP

Barack Obama

John McCain is showing how a president should lead in his response to the crisis in Georgia, according to conservative bloggers. Former blogging supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) propose ways to address lingering Clinton-Obama friction at the convention. And Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) receives ridicule from liberal bloggers for suggesting that Jesus has already saved the planet from global warming.

McCain, whose staunch support for Georgia was cited Tuesday by President Mikheil Saakashvili, has become the international spokesman on the issue, writes John Hinderaker at Power Line. Barack Obama has been caught napping on the conflict, as a new poll shows that McCain is trusted by most Americans to handle a similar crisis, writes Hot Air's Allahpundit. But it's not such a good sign that former U.N. ambassador John Bolton and other foreign policy hardliners are now turning to McCain instead of Bush, writes TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall.

With former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner slotted as the keynote speaker at the Democratic convention instead of Clinton, her supporters in need of a catharsis should place her name in nomination for president on the convention floor, writes former Clinton backer Jerome Armstrong at MyDD. Another Clinton backer, TalkLeft's Jeralyn, would be fine with retired Gen. Wesley Clark as Obama's running mate. Clark, whose motto of "Securing America's Future" is the same as the theme for the convention's Wednesday session, was skeptical about the Patriot Act, is open to medical marijuana and called for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's ouster before many others did, Jeralyn notes.

Bachmann said there's no need for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to save the planet because Jesus already did 2,000 years ago, notes TPM Election Central's Eric Kleefeld. But Jesus' story was about Christian salvation, not climate change, reminds Firedoglake's Eli.

FROM THE BLOGS:
McCain Leads The Way - John Hinderaker, Power Line
Majority Prefers McCain on Similar Crisis - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Bolton And Hardliners to McCain - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
What Did We Tell Georgia? - Josh Patashnik, The Plank
Mark Warner to Keynote on Tuesday - Jerome Armstrong, MyDD
Could Clark Be the Veep Pick? - Jeralyn, TalkLeft
Bachmann: Jesus Already Saved Planet - E. Kleefeld, TPM EC
The Environment Is Not a Truck - Eli, Firedoglake
Bachmann: Jesus, Not Environmentalists - S. Benen, Carpetbagger

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Virginia's Warner Tapped for Democrats' Key Speech - Associated Press
On Georgia's Crisis, McCain's Tone Grows Sharper - Washington Post
Book on Obama Hopes to Repeat Anti-Kerry Feat - New York Times
McCain Ignoring Calls to Cancel Controversial Fundraiser - The Hill