This is one of the Obama campaign's worst nightmares -- truly a "3:00 am" moment, in the sense that it's a crisis of the worst kind: it's a surprise, for one thing; and it clearly demands a response, although the wrong response could have dire consequences; and the required response is not even remotely obvious; and even the correct response is likely to have ugly side-effects. Obama's "nice talk" approach is clearly inadequate to a situation where thousands have already died.
Normal folks are going to look at this episode, and probably Iran as well, and they're going to see Obama in a very unflattering light. McCain has already begun pinging on the "Obama's not ready to lead" line, and this is going to give red meat to the claim.
Obama's biggest weakness is the perception that he is ill-equipped to handle crises. And I'll be honest -- much as I'd hate a Hillary Clinton presidency, I'd be much more comfortable with her in the Big Chair than I would with Obama. I wonder how many Democrat-leaning voters are thinking along those lines?
Russia is probably the greatest disappointment in recent years. It has turned into a KGB oligarchy. [President Vladimir] Putin wants to restore the days of the old Russian empire, and he continues to repress democracy, human rights, and freedom of the press. Mysterious assassinations are even taking place. If oil were still $10 a barrel, Mr. Putin would not pose any kind of a threat. I do not believe you will see a reigniting of the Cold War. But I do believe that Putin and his cadre of KGB friends are causing us great difficulties in a variety of ways, including a failure to assist us in trying to rein in Iranian nuclear ambitions. John McCain - JUNE 4, 2007