Moscow keeps upping the ante. Today, the Kremlin announced that it is willing to use means other than diplomacy to respond to further development of the U.S. missile defense system in Poland. According to the Associated Press,

Russia lashed out at the United States on Wednesday over a missile defense deal with Poland and warned ominously that Moscow’s response to further development of the missile shield would go beyond diplomacy.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the U.S. missile shield plans are clearly aimed at weakening Russia, calling them part of growing “U.S. efforts to change the strategic balance of power in its favor.”

Russia’s invasion of Georgia and its increasingly belligerent rhetoric highlight the challenge the next president will face in dealing with the government of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin. Sen. McCain has been a steady voice, challenging Russian aggression from the onset of their military campaign in Georgia. Sen. Obama, on the other hand, urged both countries to “show restraint.” This is the 3:00 AM wake-up call Sen. Hillary Clinton referenced in her famous campaign advertisement, where she postulated the risks associated with electing a president as inexperienced on matters of matters of national security and foreign policy as Sen. Obama. This is a foreign policy crisis and Sen. Obama is simply outmatched. The United States needs a commander-in-chief it can trust. Sen. John McCain is that man.