Georgia On My Mind

You don't have to be in Beijing to appreciate the overlap between politics and sport. Here's our take on two key events:

--Power Lifting: The McCain camp wants voters to see him flexing his foreign policy muscles w/ his early and consistent condemnation of Russia's actions in Georgia. Will he remind voters, perhaps, of Reagan's defanging of the Soviet Bear? Of course, for those under 30, the Soviet Union is like ancient history. Plus, we haven't seen other GOPers lining up behind McCain's call to get Russia kicked out of the G-8.

And while the conflict and the images are compelling, it's not something most Americans know anything about. It also comes at peak vacation time. i.e, less newspaper reading and cable TV watching.

--Synchronized Messaging: Despite his affection for a free-wheeling campaign structure, McCain has been sticking closely to the script of late. Grumbling among conservatives also seems to have died down. Even Southern Baptist's Land gave him a backhanded compliment recently.

Meanwhile, whether it's the role for HRC and her frustrated supporters in Denver or emails leaked to Atlantic's Green that outlined the HRC camp's anti-Obama strategy, it's clear that Dems aren't in Unity anymore.