People here should know damned enough history to know that what happened in Belgrade this week - the burning of our embassy resulting in the likely death of at least 1 person is Huge, Huge news. Bigger than Barack's day at the debates or even Hillary's problem with AUMF.
BELGRADE, Serbia — Demonstrators attacked the United States Embassy and set part of it ablaze on Thursday as tens of thousands of angry Serbs took to the streets of Belgrade to protest Kosovo’s declaration of independence.
The United States has been a strong advocate of Kosovo’s independence from Serbia and was among the first countries to recognize the new state, stoking deep resentment. Rian Harris, an embassy spokeswoman, said that a body had been found inside the building, but that all embassy staff members were accounted for.
Witnesses said that at least 100 people broke into the embassy, which was closed, and burned some of its rooms. One protester ripped the American flag from the facade of the building. An estimated 1,000 demonstrators cheered as the vandals, some wearing masks, jumped onto the building’s balcony waving a Serbian flag and chanting "Serbia, Serbia!" the witnesses said. A police convoy firing tear gas dispersed the crowd.
The Associated Press reported that the small fires at the embassy were quickly extinguished.
Serbian television reported that the Croatian Embassy had also been attacked, and the state news agency said that the Bosnian and Turkish Embassies were also targets. The police said at least 140 people had been injured in the incidents, 32 of them police officers. Security sources estimated that 150,000 people joined the protests.
OK here's why this is important:
I would hope our candidates think more about this, and that we have a wise approach to how to deal with this mess. Right now it looks really, really screwed up.
Update: Evidently it's a foreign policy clusterfuck bonanza this week: Turkey said it has sent ground troops into Iraq...