And one more one more thing:
In all those quotes, he never actually said he would use military force... rather, he said he would use the threat of military force.
In practical terms, not a big difference; in political terms it is huge. It allows him to appear just as strong on defense as McCain to those who consider that to be of primary import; but it allows wiggle room when push actually comes to shove.
I'm not crazy about the use of such language which, while not an outright lie, is deceitful; unfortunately it seems to be the lingua fraca of both those who want to feel like they're getting what they want when they know it likely isn't exactly the case, and those who want to make that impression.
Having said all that, I am quite certain that there is a point where even Obama would make the 'military option' more than just a threat; but taking all his statements as a whole it is also quite clear that he is far far more likely to truly exhaust all diplomatic means than McCain would, and would save military option as only a truly last resort, where McCain's statements have certainly indicated the opposite.
