Barack Obama’s primary shortcoming in his bid to be President of the United States is without question his lack of experience, particularly in foreign affairs. The recent outbreak of violence in Georgia has served to underline Obama’s ineptitude when it comes to world affairs. Both the McCain and Obama campaigns released statements calling for an immediate cease fire, yet it appears only one campaign is aware of whom is the provocateur:

Here is Obama’s initial statement:

“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.”

It was nice to see Obama acknowledge Georgia’s sovereignty, and Russia breaching of that sovereignty, yet it is curious to see that he not only does not condemn Russia’s actions, but also asks Georgia to show restraint.

Here is McCain’s response:

“Today, 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 for Euro-Atlantic stability and security are grave.

“The government of Georgia has called for a cease-fire 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 it has chosen. We should immediately call a meeting of the North Atlantic Council to assess 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.”

The day after releasing his initial statement, Barack Obama appeared to come to the realization that it was only necessary for one side to show restraint in this conflict. He altered his statement on Saturday, saying:

“I condemn Russia’s aggressive actions and reiterate my call for an immediate ceasefire,” Obama said in a statement.

“Russia must stop its bombing campaign, cease flights of Russian aircraft in Georgian airspace, and withdraw its ground forces from Georgia.”

Obama’s statement on Saturday mirrors the statement released by the McCain campaign the previous day, rightfully placing the blame on Russia. It is unfortunate however, that Obama chose to release his initial statement before researching who was at fault.

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Barack Obama, Election 2008, Features, John McCain, Politics