Washington Times

First, the US may soon send troops into the out-of-control tribal areas of Pakistan:

Top Bush administration officials are pressing the president to direct U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be more aggressive in pursuing militants into Pakistan on foot as part of a proposed radical shift in regional counterterrorism strategy, the Associated Press has learned.

Senior intelligence and military aides want President Bush to give American soldiers greater flexibility to operate against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters who cross the border from Pakistan’s lawless tribal border area to conduct attacks inside Afghanistan, officials say.

The plan could include sending U.S. Special Forces teams, temporarily assigned to the CIA, into the tribal areas to hit high-value targets, according to an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the proposal.

It’s based on an anonymous source, so I don’t know how concerned we should be just now.

Washington Times

According to reports, the Russians are attacking Georgia and/or Georgians are attacking the Russians and/or people are shooting each other for some reason, I don’t know:

Russia sent an armored column into the breakaway enclave of South Ossetia after Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally, launched an offensive to crush separatists. Georgia reported early Saturday that warplanes attacked three of its bases and some key oil facilities.

Witnesses said hundreds of civilians have died in the fighting, which threatened to ignite a wider war between Georgia and Russia and escalate tensions between Moscow and Washington.

Georgia said it was forced to launch the assault because of rebel attacks; the separatists alleged Georgia violated a cease-fire.

The South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali was reportedly devastated. Ossetia spokeswoman Irina Gagloyeva said the city came under prolonged fire during the night “but it was suppressed” by the armed forces, the Interfax news agency quoted her as saying Saturday.

Remember, there are those—such as Secretary of State Rice—who think it’s a good idea to extend NATO membership to Georgia.  Hands up everyone who wants to get into World War III with Russia over the independence of South Ossetia?  Didn’t think so.  Interestingly, there are 2,000 Georgian troops fighting in Iraq who are now asking the US if they can hitch a ride home to help in the upcoming carnage.

All Headline News

More aircraft carriers into the Persian Gulf!

Two additional U.S. Navy aircraft carriers are on their way to the Gulf and the Red Sea, according to Kuwait Times. Kuwait began finalizing its “emergency war plan” on being told the vessels were bound for the region.

The U.S. Navy will neither confirm nor deny that carriers are currently en route. U.S. Fifth Fleet Combined Maritime Command located in Bahrain said it could not comment because of what a spokesman termed “force-protection policy.”

While the Kuwaiti daily did not name the ships it believes are heading for the Middle East, The Media Line’s (TML) defense analyst said they could be the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Ronald Reagan.

Within the last month, the Roosevelt completed an exercise along the U.S. east coast focusing on communication among navies of different countries. Since then, it has since been declared ready for operational duties.

The Reagan, currently with the Seventh Fleet, has just set sail from Japan.

The Seventh Fleet area of operation stretches from the East Coast of Africa to the International Date Line.

Many people like to say that Clinton was “inexperienced” compared to Bush 41 in terms of foreign policy experience when he got elected, but that it was fine because we were reaping the peace dividend of the Cold War’s ending.  Clinton ran on—and won—a promise that he would put domestic issues above foreign affairs.  The consequence was that we ignored the rising danger of Islamic terrorism.

Barack Albright Obama, if elected, cannot be taken seriously when he claims that experience doesn’t count for something nor will he be able to pretend that foreign policy credibility is going to be crucial in the coming years like Clinton could in 1992.  I do not really have any love for McCain, but things are getting ready to flame up in a lot of places and the next president is going to be putting those fires out constantly.  Pretty but hollow speeches and a misbegotten sense that everyone will do what you say because you’re so darn likeable are not a substitute for a coherent foreign policy, Mr. Obama.  John McCain really is the only candidate who can be counted on to face the madness of the next few years.

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Anti-Idiotarian Rottwieler:

The real problem for us here, meaning the U.S., is that Georgia is a staunch ally of ours in The Long War, so we really can’t just sit back and say “mess with the bull, get the horns” to the Georgians, even though that seems, to His Imperial Majesty, to be the most reasonable response here. You don’t bomb the snot out of somebody and kill their nationals, then come crying for mama when the ones you bombed bomb you right back. At least not in our book.

Hugh Hewitt:

Seriously, this is the sort of conflict that could go very big very fast—a phone in the White House ringing at 3 AM.  It is a good moment for Obama to show us his grasp of world geopolitics.