WORDS, JUST WORDS! - BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

A Time for Mouth Action?

The Russian invasion of Georgia benefits John McCain

by allowing him to show off his foreign-policy credentials -- that's conventional political wisdom and Barack Obama did his best to confirm it last week with his halting and shifting responses from his vacation spot in Hawaii.

After initially even-handedly blaming both sides for the fighting, Mr. Obama got "tough." But even his toughness had a way of betraying him. "Now is the time for action -- not just words," Mr. Obama finally got around to saying Tuesday.

But Mr. Obama couldn't list any actions that America, as a country, should take,

or that Mr. Obama, as president, would take.Instead, his action plan was a list of things for the Russians to do:

"It is past time for the Russian government to immediately sign and implement a cease-fire. Russia must halt its violation of Georgian airspace and withdraw its ground forces from Georgia."Mr. Obama's statement was, well, just words, offering little comfort to those wondering how Mr. Obama would handle himself in a foreign policy crisis.

-- Brian M. Carney,

writing in today's Wall Street Journal's POLITICAL DIARY ONLINE