As this presidential campaign has progressed, we've witnessed a transformation of sorts. The Republican candidate for president, John McCain, has, through a series of bold, and supposedly "game-changing" decisions, attempted to improve his flagging campaign fortunes. But in the process of these calculated, and highly criticized gambits, McCain has managed to morph from "Maverick" into "Gambler." While these two titles have some things in common--both impart a sense of individualism and unpredictability--the emphasis on risk in the latter word is by no means a welcome development for McCain.

Let's start with the most recent instance: McCain's attempted rescue of the bailout bill. When he suspended his campaign, McCain was gambling. He asserted he was "putting country first," and claimed that nothing was more important than returning to Washington and hammering out a bi-partisan fix. Well, what happened? He returned to Washington for all of two days, had little to no effect in solving this crisis (neither did Barack Obama), and promptly resumed the campaign he'd never really suspended in the first place. Yesterday, McCain even took credit for the bailout's passage before it ended up going down in partisan flames: Mission Not Accomplished. Furthermore, he leveled blame at his Democratic rival for the bill's defeat, thus stuffing the serpent's tail firmly into its mouth by, yet again, contradicting the central rationale of his campaign suspension: that we needed to rise above politics for the good of the country. In short, McCain's campaign suspension has been shown for what it was, a ploy to try and put his presidential rival on the defensive. If it was anything else, his campaign would still be in a state of suspended animation.

Another of McCain's impulsive wagers that has gone bust is his choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate. To be sure, this pick energized his base when it was announced. But the more that the country learns about this woman, the less they like her. And that includes many conservatives, as well. Most importantly, however, it is the independent voters who McCain needed to sway. On this score, the McCain team's woefully inadequate vetting of Palin, her repeated lies, her bungled interviews, and her evangelical fervor, have shown her to be yet another example of McCain's flawed inspiration.

The White House announced yesterday that Vice-President Dick Cheney will travel to Georgia next week as part of a trip to three former Soviet republics to express the Bush Administration's support for the Georgian government. Fighting in Georgia between Russian and Georgian troops has ceased, but the situation remains very tense. Russia remains in control of the Black Sea port of Poti, and has stated that it will begin searching cargo entering the port, in violation of the cease fire agreement brokered by European leaders in which Russia agreed not to interfere with the free flow of goods into the country. The U.S. Navy is headed to Georgia to deliver relief supplies and has said that it will use the port, possibly bringing U.S. and Russian Naval forces into direct conflict.

The White House said that the Vice-President's trip is an opportunity for the U.S to demonstrate its commitment to rebuild Georgia in the wake of the Russian invasion.

"The trip gives us an opportunity to move forward both here in the U.S. government, and also with our counterparts in Europe who want to support Georgia's economic and military reconstruction. Developments lately in Georgia have increased the importance of this visit."

Meanwhile, Russia seems determined to drag out the conflict over the the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia for as long as possible. The Russian Parliament voted unanimously to recognize the two regions as independent states, comparing the situation there directly to Kosovo, the breakaway region of Serbia recently recognized as independent by the U.S. and European nations. The Kremlin has yet to make the recognition official and will test the parliament's action diplomatically over the next couple of weeks.

The conflict is settling into a standoff between Russia and the West very reminiscent of the Cold War. For its part, the White House seems to acknowledge that new reality. "Russia's reputation has suffered since it took these disproportionate military steps in Georgia," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said, "[the U.S. is] reviewing our entire relationship with Russia."

In what may be one of the first dominoes to fall as a result of Russia's continuing military action in Georgia, the United States and Poland announced that the two nations have entered into a deal to base U.S. missile defense system batteries in the former Warsaw Pact nation. The countries also pledged to come to each other's aid, "in case of trouble." The U.S. said that the deal was not timed to send any signals to Russia in the wake of it's invasion of Georgia. But the planned missile defense batteries in Poland and the Czech Republic have been a sticking point in U.S.-Russian relations for some time. Moscow will almost certainly view the deal as a retaliatory measure for its military actions.

Polish Defense Minister Donald Tusk described the mutual assistance clause of the deal in stark and active terms.

"We have crossed the Rubicon.

Poland and the Poles do not want to be in alliances in which assistance comes at some point later. It is no good when assistance comes to dead people. Poland wants to be in alliances where assistance comes in the very first hours of, knock on wood, any possible conflict."

Few nations know as well as Poland the potential results of Russian aggression. Now they will take steps to protect themselves with 10 American Patriot missile batteries.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said that the deal was part of a broader effort to enhance security in Europe, not a reaction in any way to the Georgian crisis. "We believe that missile defense is a substantial contribution to NATO's collective security," she said. But it is clear that the United States went ahead with this announcement at this time to signal to Russia that it's actions in Georgia have changed the rules of the game. A Cold War mentality is quickly settling in on both sides of the U.S.-Russian divide.

If you're a McCain supporter, or the enemy of your enemy is John McCain, I present to you your cringeworthy moment of the day:

Tip of the hat to ThinkProgress. Of course, the lefties have jumped all over this. Perhaps what McCain meant to say was that nations don't invade other nations, unless in response to an invasion of a third country and then after thirteen years of broken promises, a nation may invade another nation under the auspices of several standing UN resolutions.

But that probably would have taken too long to say.

The president's statement today was clearer and attempted to hit on the Russians desire to be seen as a first rate civilized world power. Which is a good thing to hit. On balance McCain has clearly picked a side, and it's the side that any American older than thirty years is conditioned to take (against Russia) and so politically I would say that McCain is going to get the better of this. And that's not even taking into account that McCain is probably on the right side substance-wise. Obama's heading there too, but too slowly to take any real leadership or get any points.

President Bush stepped out into the Rose Garden today to address the situation in Georgia. In a sharply worded statement, the president questioned Russian claims that their military activities in the former Soviet state have been stopped, and he called on Russia to remove all of its troops from Georgian territory.

The United States of America stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia. We insist that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected.

Russia has stated that changing the government of Georgia is not its goal. The United States and the world expect Russia to honor that commitment. Russia has also stated that it has halted military operations and agreed to a provisional cease-fire. Unfortunately, we're receiving reports of Russian actions that are inconsistent with these statements. We're concerned about reports that Russian units have taken up positions on the east side of the city of Gori, which allows them to block the East-West Highway, divide the country, and threaten the capital of Tbilisi.

We're concerned about reports that Russian forces have entered and taken positions in the port city of Poti, that Russian armored vehicles are blocking access to that port, and that Russia is blowing up Georgian vessels. We're concerned about reports that Georgian citizens of all ethnic origins are not being protected. All forces, including Russian forces, have an obligation to protect innocent civilians from attack.

The president also announced that he is sending Secretary of State Rice to the Georgian capital of Tblisi to personally deliver the United States' message of solidarity to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. He also directed Defense Secretary Robert Gates to organize a humanitarian relief mission to Georgia, to be carried out by the U.S. military.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev put an end to Russian military action in neighboring Georgia late yesterday, hours after Russian troops attacked the strategically important town of Gori on the outskirts of the capital Tblisi. The Russian Army had opened a second front yesterday in another breakaway Georgian province, Abkhazia, leading to fears that it aimed to take over the former Soviet republic. But pressure from the West and a personal visit to Moscow from French President Nicolas Sarkozy may have stayed Russia's plans for the time being.

Now the focus will turn to the aftermath of the four-day conflict. The U.S. has called for Russia and Georgia to enter into negotiations to settle differences over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, autonomous regions of Georgia home to many Russians. But Russia is balking at the prospect of talks with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, demanding instead that the president resign from office and Georgian troops stay out of the two provinces, which are inside Georgia's internationally recognized territory.

Yesterday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made the absurd claim the Saakashvili's actions in attempting to subdue the breakaway provinces were worse than Saddam Hussein's. That plea for international legitimacy fell on deaf ears, however, as Russian claims of Georgian atrocities in South Ossetia could not be verified and the United Nations and NATO each scheduled meetings to discuss the crisis. Those would likely have resulted in more forceful condemnations of Russia and further damaged Russia's standing with the international community. It remains to be seen what if anything Russia may have gained from its intervention. For the time being, Russia has labeled itself an aggressor nation by its actions, and its relationship with the United States and Europe is in jeopardy of falling back into Cold War status.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, stung by sharp criticism from the White House over its invasion of U.S. ally Georgia, reacted angrily today to the United States' military assistance to the former Soviet republic. The U.S. military transported some 2,000 Georgian troops from their bases in Iraq back to Georgia to assist in the fighting there. Putin labeled that action unhelpful and accused the United States of hypocrisy in its condemnation of Russia's actions.

"It's a pity that some of our partners instead of helping are in fact trying to get in the way. I mean among other things the United States airlifting Georgia's military contingent from Iraq effectively into the conflict zone.

The scale of their cynicism causes surprise. It's the ability to cast white as black and black as white which is surprising, the ability to cast the aggressor as the victim and blame the victims for the consequences.

Of course, Saddam Hussein ought to have been hanged for destroying several Shiite villages. And the incumbent Georgian leaders who razed ten Ossetian villages at once, who ran elderly people and children with tanks, who burned civilian alive in their sheds - these leaders must be taken under protection."

Putin's cavalier dismissal of Saddam Hussein's crimes as "destroying several Shiite villages" perhaps sheds light on his trustworthiness as an international partner for peace and security. Russia's claims of atrocities against civilians committed by Georgian troops have not been verified. But it is abundantly clear that Georgian officials would have had to work very hard to eclipse Saddam Hussein in the annals of brutality.

If you were looking for signs of the United States' waning influence on the world stage, you needed only tune in to the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games. Beijing's spectacular coming out party was a mind-boggling feast for the senses. The synchronized precision of the show, which fused the latest (Chinese-made) technological marvels with the daunting manpower of a country whose masses are hurtling into the middle class at world record pace, was as beautiful as it was unnerving. Yes, China is the world's future. And the future is now.

Taking in the show were the representatives of two former world champions: The President of the United States, and the Prime Minister of Russia. During the parade of nations, George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, with the aid of an interpreter, exchanged words about another world event taking place at a venue on the other side of the globe. Georgia, a sovereign nation and a staunch American ally, had just been overrun by Russian tanks -- and troop numbers reminiscent of the U.S.S.R.'s forays into Czechoslovakia in '68 and Afghanistan campaign of '79 -- and Mr. Bush let Mr. Putin know he wasn't too happy about it. The result of the impromptu scolding? The tanks pushed on farther, and Russian ships began a blockade. And Mr. Bush hit the beach volleyball court to ham it up with our bikini-clad athletes.

How the candidates responded to the first 3AM call...

John McCain:

"[T]he news reports indicate that Russian military forces crossed an internationally recognized border into the sovereign territory of Georgia. Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations and withdraw all forces from sovereign Georgian territory. What is most critical now is to avoid further confrontation between Russian and Georgian military forces. The consequences of Euro-Atlantic stability and security are grave. The government of Georgia has called for a ceasefire and for a resumption of direct talks on South Ossetia with international mediators. The U.S. should immediately convene an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to call on Russia to reverse course. The U.S. should immediately work with the EU and the OSCE to put diplomatic pressure on Russia to reverse this perilous course that it has chosen.

"I repeat, the government of Georgia has called for a ceasefire and for a resumption of direct talks on South Ossetia with international mediators. The United States should immediately convene an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council and to call on Russia to reverse course. The U.S. should immediately work with the EU and the OSCE to put diplomatic pressure on Russia to reverse this perilous course that it has chosen. We should immediately call a meeting of the North Atlantic Council to asses Georgia's security and review measures NATO can take to contribute to stabilizing this very dangerous situation. Finally, the international community needs to establish a truly independent and neutral peacekeeping force in South Ossetia."

Well it's pretty easy to figure out where McCain stands on this issue.

Barack Obama:

"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."

Are you kidding me? Barack and his advisors should have been looking at this as a great opportunity to show that Obama can handle foreign policy issues of the first order. Instead they put out a statement that, in essence, says the same thing McCain did, only in a much less direct and more mealy-mouthed way.

President Bush ended his week-long trip to Asia today, leaving the Olympics to return home and deal with an unexpected international crisis. The president used his time in China to conduct a little personal diplomacy with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, condemning Russia's military action in U.S. ally Georgia.

"I've expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn the bombing outside of South Ossetia. I was very firm with Vladimir Putin. Hopefully this will get resolved peacefully."

Bush also made similar points to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev by telephone from China. Vice-President Dick Cheney was a bit more blunt in his remarks, telling Georgia's president that Russia's actions "must not go unanswered," and that the United States considers them, "a threat to Georgia's sovereignty." Asked to clarify the Vice-President's remarks, the White House used a familiar line that perhaps foreshadows more direct U.S. involvement in bringing the fighting under control. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said that when Cheney said "must not go unanswered" he was saying that Russia's aggression in the South Ossetia region of Georgia, "must not stand."

The U.S. has already taken military action on Georgia's side in the fighting, flying Georgian troops home from Iraq after their country recalled them to help repel attacks from two separate rebel groups backed by Russia. It is unclear if the White House envisions a wider role for the U.S. military beyond such logistical support. But Georgia was the third largest supplier of foreign troops to Iraq, surpassed only by the U.S. and Britain. Georgia has therefore earned a measure of cooperation from the United States and the international community for its willingness to assist in the war on terror.