AFGHAN ATTACK – AT 8:51 A.M. ET:  There was a spectacular Taliban attack in Afghanistan this morning, reminiscent of the "Tet Offensive" style attack of the Vietnam War.  From The New York Times:

KABUL, Afghanistan — Teams of militants launched a spectacular assault at the heart of the Afghan government Monday, with at least two men detonating suicide bombs and the rest fighting to the death only 50 feet from the gates of the presidential palace.

The attacks, the latest in a series targeting the Afghan capital, paralyzed the city for hours, as hundreds of Afghan commandos converged and opened fire. The battle unfolded in the middle of Pashtunistan Square, a traffic circle that holds the palace of President Hamid Karzai, the Ministry of Justice and the Central Bank, which appeared to be the object of the attack.

As the gun battle raged, another suicide bomber — this one driving an ambulance — struck a traffic circle a half-mile away, sending a second mass of bystanders fleeing in terror.

And...

The effect of the attack seemed primarily psychological, designed to strike fear into the usually quiet precincts of downtown Kabul — and to drive home the ease with which insurgents could strike the American-backed government here.

Yes, memories of Tet.

In that way the assault succeeded without question: The streets of Kabul emptied, merchants shuttered their shops and Afghans ran from their offices. Even guards assigned to Mr. Karzai himself came to join the fighting; it was that close.

COMMENT:  We're focused on Massachusetts today, and will be tomorrow.  But then there's work to be done in Afghanistan, Iran, and elsewhere.  Obama will be challenged on every foreign-policy front.  So far, he's bunted at best.

January 18, 2010