Blanket Pardon?

Mark Benjamin at Salon thinks Bush is planning a wide-ranging pardon of all in his administration who might’ve been involved in torture. That’s certainly been a possibility all along, and the president’s pardon power is wide-ranging. But I should think it’s at least arguable that it has to be exercised on behalf of specific, named [...]

War and the Economy

Matt Yglesias:
Very little public attention has focused on bin Laden’s desired goal of provoking the United States into an overreaction that drains our economy and leads to an economic crisis. And yet here were are, over seven years after 9/11 and over five years since the invasion of Iraq, and in the midst of an [...]

Surge Quarrel

The New York Times offers new details about how Bush decided on the five-brigade surge in Iraq. Interesting for what it reveals about the wrangling within the Army itself. The generals were deeply split.

French Foreign Legion: Let the Afghans Do It

A French lieutenant colonel says Americans are shouldering too much of the counterinsurgency burden in Afghanistan and stunting the development of the Afghan army;
[US forces] generally make operational decision which, without the vigilance of the [Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams] can sideline the ANA from the decision-making process; these then risk being turned into auxiliaries to the [...]

Putin: Americans Were in Combat Zone

Maybe. He says perhaps to influence the election to one candidate’s benefit. Take with a large grain of salt. Note also how he responds to the question late in this CNN interview about guaranteeing other border states against Russian attack.
UPDATE: See also this backgrounder from The Economist. Money quote:
After years of cultivating xenophobic sentiment and [...]

China Steps Up

Folks like Thomas Barnett who’ve been wondering when and whether the Chinese would take a stand for international order just got their answer:
China and several Central Asian nations rebuffed Russia’s hopes of international support for its actions in Georgia, issuing a statement Thursday denouncing the use of force and calling for the respect of every [...]

Naval Activity in the Black Sea

This is ominous:
Apparently after returning to port on August 23rd, the Moskva went back to sea today sailing from Sevastopol to Novorossiisk. Why? The article details some new events off the coast of Georgia.
What events?
Navy Times is reporting that the USS McFaul (DDG 74) has dropped anchor in the Georgian port of Batumi.
Hat to Galrahn at Information Dissemination. Keep [...]

Ivan, Meet Butch

Did the Russians blow up a train in Georgia this past Sunday?

Russian Air Force Oopsies

Apparently the Russians turned in a less-than-impressive performance in the air, despite the non-formidable opposition.

Experts Talking Past Each Other

Thomas Barnett turns in a less-than-stellar response to an Edward Luttwak op-ed on the long-term meaning of the Georgia/Russia conflict, reading Luttwak as advocating a rallying behind the former republics regardless of the practicalities. Needless to say, Barnett doesn’t agree:
Go ahead and let Georgia declare war between NATO and Russia. Now, any half-wit small-country leader [...]