Obama and McCain Urge Cease Fire

But where's George? Unfortunately, he's the only one in the position to do anything. Apparently, the war is escalating.

CNN: The situation in South Ossetia escalated rapidly from Thursday night, when Georgia said it had launched an operation into the region after its unilateral cease-fire was met with artillery fire from separatists that killed 10 people, including peacekeepers and civilians. It accused Russia of backing the separatists.

McCain said he has spoken to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili twice since the conflict began. "It is clear the situation is dire. ... I again call on the government of Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw its forces from the territory of Georgia."

He called the conflict a "threat to Euro-Atlantic security" and supported attempts by Western powers -- including the United States, the European Union and NATO -- to broker a cease-fire.

Obama, who also talked to Saakashvili, said that direct talks between Russia and Georgia are necessary.

"Diplomats at the highest levels from the United States, the European Union and the United Nations must become directly involved in mediating this military conflict and beginning a process to resolve the political disputes over the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia," he said. "A genuinely neutral mediator -- not the Russian government -- must begin a process of negotiations immediately."

Obama in Georgia Video

Republicans say Obama will never win Georgia, where it's a close race:

CNN: The Republicans are well aware of Obama's attempts to claim victory in Georgia.

Republican Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss held a conference call with reporters Monday ahead of Obama's visit and pointed to a recent poll that shows McCain with a 10-point lead in their state.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution published an editorial Tuesday headlined, "Obama tries to make Georgia seem in play; it isn't."

"If Obama wins Georgia, he'll occupy the White House," conservative AJC columnist Jim Wooten wrote.

What do they know. 

Obama says he's not shifting positions.

WaPo: Tuesday broadly dismissed recent stories that he is moving toward the political center, saying he has always held certain centrist views -- on encouraging faith, on the right of individuals to own guns -- and that attempts to portray him otherwise are the work of cynics.

One supporter, a self-declared "reformed Republican," asked Obama at a town hall meeting to describe his true position on Iraq, following a spate of stories saying Obama is changing his position.

Obama, egged on by a raucous audience, said he would like to address "this whole notion that I am shifting to the center, or that I am flip-flopping."

"The people who say this apparently haven't been listening to me," Obama said. "And I have to say, some of them are my friends on the left and some of the media, I am somebody who is no doubt progressive." He listed ways he says he is progressive -- on providing universal health care coverage, increased teacher pay -- but then said that on other matters he believes in "personal responsibility" and faith.
On Iraq, Obama declared unequivocally his commitment to withdrawal, making no reference to his statement last week that he could "refine" his strategy after taking office.

"I have also consistently said, once we were in, we had to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in, because once you get in, you've got to make sure our troops are safe," he said. "You've got to make sure the country doesn't collapse so what I've called for is a phased withdrawal, a phased redeployment." He continued: "Now, assuming that I take office in January, then that means that we would still have our troops there for about two more year from now. There's nothing rushed about that... When I hear John McCain saying we can't surrender, we can't wave the white flag -- nobody's talking about surrender. We're talking about common sense."