Virginia Governor Credits Obama with a Ceasefire in Georgia

Video courtesy YouTube.com Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, a Vice Presidential-hopeful, says that Russia's President Medvedev "complied" with Senator Obama's request for a cease fire. Fox and Friends' Gretchen Carlson interviewed Virginia Governor Tim Kaine by telephone on August 12, 2008. Kaine is widely believed to be high on the short list of Democrat Vice Presidential candidates. Conservatives are decrying Kaine's inference that the cease fire was due solely to Senator Obama's tough talk and some in the MSM are joining in: Chicago Sun Times reporter Steve Huntley:

It took first-term Sen. Barack Obama three tries to get it right. Headed for a vacation in Hawaii, the presumed Democratic candidate for commander in chief issued an even-handed statement, urging restraint by both sides. Later Friday, he again called for mutual restraint but blamed Russia for the fighting. The next day his language finally caught up with toughness of McCain's.

CBS News' Mark Ames took issue with McCain's August 8th call to review the measures NATO can take to aid stabilization in the area:

Calling on NATO to "stabilize this dangerous situation" is not going down well with Russia.

Ames adds a bit more color to his comments:

McCain issued a stark-raving statement from Des Moines that is disturbingly reminiscent of the language used in the lead-up to NATO's war against Yugoslavia in 1999, a war McCain zealously pushed for...

On August 8th, both Senators Obama and McCain released initial statements on the invasion, each have issued subsequent statements, and the heat is on the campaigns to prove their candidate the wisest and toughest. Video text:

It was a bad crisis for the world. It required tough words but also a smart approach to call on the international community to step in. And I’m very, very happy that the Senator's request for a ceasefire has been complied with by President Medvedev.