redblueamerica.com

From the New York Times:

In a brief confrontation in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, five armed Iranian fast boats took aggressive actions on Sunday around three United States Navy warships in international waters, according to a Pentagon spokesman, who called the moves “reckless and dangerous.”

The Iranian government played down the episode, saying that it ended immediately when the vessels recognized one another. But Mr. Whitman and other officials described a tense confrontation in the strait, a narrow but vital passage through which millions of barrels of oil move each day.

Now obviously, an incident of some sort happened. But given the undisputed ability of the White House to see (and act on) dark provocations where none are intended, I guess I want to keep my powder dry. And hope the Bush Administration does the same.

What this incident sounds like is the kind of thing that's been going on between rival powers for years: U.S. and Soviet subs used to hunt each other, and right before 9-11 an American jet was forced down after colliding with a Chinese plane. These things happen all the time, but they almost never make news.

So why now?