MORNING READ

John McCain is showing how a president should lead in his response to the crisis in Georgia, according to conservative bloggers. Former blogging supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) propose ways to address lingering Clinton-Obama friction at the convention. And Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) receives ridicule from liberal bloggers for suggesting that Jesus has already saved the planet from global warming.

McCain, whose staunch support for Georgia was cited Tuesday by President Mikheil Saakashvili, has become the international spokesman on the issue, writes John Hinderaker at Power Line. Barack Obama has been caught napping on the conflict, as a new poll shows that McCain is trusted by most Americans to handle a similar crisis, writes Hot Air’s Allahpundit. But it’s not such a good sign that former U.N. ambassador John Bolton and other foreign policy hardliners are now turning to McCain instead of Bush, writes TalkingPointsMemo’s Josh Marshall.

With former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner slotted as the keynote speaker at the Democratic convention instead of Clinton, her supporters in need of a catharsis should place her name in nomination for president on the convention floor, writes former Clinton backer Jerome Armstrong at MyDD. Another Clinton backer, TalkLeft’s Jeralyn, would be fine with retired Gen. Wesley Clark as Obama’s running mate. Clark, whose motto of “Securing America’s Future” is the same as the theme for the convention’s Wednesday session, was skeptical about the Patriot Act, is open to medical marijuana and called for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s ouster before many others did, Jeralyn notes.

Bachmann said there’s no need for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to save the planet because Jesus already did 2,000 years ago, notes TPM Election Central’s Eric Kleefeld. But Jesus’ story was about Christian salvation, not climate change, reminds Firedoglake’s Eli.

FROM THE BLOGS:
McCain Leads The Way – John Hinderaker, Power Line
Majority Prefers McCain on Similar Crisis – Allahpundit, Hot Air
Bolton And Hardliners to McCain – Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
What Did We Tell Georgia? – Josh Patashnik, The Plank
Mark Warner to Keynote on Tuesday – Jerome Armstrong, MyDD
Could Clark Be the Veep Pick? – Jeralyn, TalkLeft
Bachmann: Jesus Already Saved Planet – E. Kleefeld, TPM EC
The Environment Is Not a Truck – Eli, Firedoglake
Bachmann: Jesus, Not Environmentalists – S. Benen, Carpetbagger

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Virginia’s Warner Tapped for Democrats’ Key Speech – Associated Press
On Georgia’s Crisis, McCain’s Tone Grows Sharper – Washington Post
Book on Obama Hopes to Repeat Anti-Kerry Feat – New York Times
McCain Ignoring Calls to Cancel Controversial Fundraiser – The Hill