The conflict between the nations of Russia and Georgia, a serious and fairly complex crisis, caught much of the world by surprise. It also gave both Presidential candidates a chance to demonstrate their savvy in the area of international relations, as well as their potentially different ways of leading during such a crisis. And of course it presented the opportunity for a candidate to make a completely bone-headed faux pas.

As Barack Obama finished up his tour on the world stage with a speech delivered in Berlin, Germany, John McCain suggested that he would not deliver speeches internationally until being President. Fortunately, the record doesn't dispute that. Oh, wait...

John McCain will continue to question Barack Obama's plans for diplomacy and international relations. Of course, Senator McCain seems to feel that his statements are off the table. Let's have a little refresher on what he said about Syria.

One of the "scariest" campaign lines used by John McCain against Barack Obama has involved pointing out Obama's willingness to engage in diplomacy with Iran. This willingness, says McCain, reflects Obama's "naivete and inexperience and lack of judgment." Surely McCain would never consider talking to our foes. Surely.

Has the Cuban embargo accomplished much? The Castro family is still in power. The citizens of Cuba continue to suffer from it, however. The US has successfully worked at normalizing relationships with other countries that were once foes to mutual advantage. Surely Senator McCain could help us move forward on the issue.

John McCain would like everyone to believe that he is a foreign policy expert. Of course, large international bodies such as the UN and G8 are vital tools of international relations. One would think John McCain would have some good insight into the organizations.

Where in the world is Osama bin Laden? Quite a few experts think he might be found in the nation of Pakistan. Is Pakistan our ally? That depends on who you ask. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama suggested that military action in Pakistan might be an option to root out terrorists. This laid the groundwork for yet another foreign policy flip-flop by the Straight Talker himself.