A Painful Monday Morning

I get the distinct impression that today is going to be painful.

Army Dog Found After 14 Months Lost in Afghanistan (AP, BBC, Times) - This is why black labs are the best dogs in the world. Seriously. Amazing.

US envoy opposed to Afghan surge (BBC, Guardian, Times) - You've gotta hand it to Secretary Clinton for doing a bangup job of keeping her folks in line over at the State Department. The US ambassador to Afghanistan doesn't support increased troop levels, and was allowed to admit that? Shameful.

Fox: Cuba Mandates 'Extreme' Cuts to Solve Energy Crisis

CNN: Germany to send troops for Afghanistan reconstruction

CNN: Top al Qaeda leader blames Blackwater for Peshawar blasts

BBC: Photos 'show Iran arms-ship link'

BBC: Syria urges French Mid-East role

BBC: Algerian 'terror gang' broken up

BBC: Angolan 'mafia targets Chinese'

Guardian: New history battle rages in Europe

Guardian: DNA database: Acid test

Guardian: Protecting Kensington, from Kandahar?

Times: Taleban winning ground in propaganda war

Times: Iran warns Saudi Arabia over attacks

Times: China and India in 'scramble for Africa', China and India compete in new cold war

Times: It's not about health, it's about who runs the US

Times: Battle of the Baghdad Bulge - This article is really disconcerting, and demonstrates an overall decline in discipline in the Army - not the Marine Corps, not the Navy, just the Army (the Air Force has always been a little goofy) - in the last couple of decades.

Financial Times: Obama to press China on Afghanistan - Good luck on that, The One!

AFP: Medvedev promises new missiles for Russian army - Maybe these ones will actually work!

AFP: Pentagon to focus on IED threat in Afghanistan: Gates

UPI: China tightens its grip on Africa

Instructables: How to Grow Flowers on a Military Base in Iraq

Great hooglie mooglie, am I tired.