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August 27, 2013 | | OPTIONS President Obama is considering a limited military strike in Syria in retaliation for an alleged chemical-weapons attack, senior White House sources told The Washington Post on Tuesday. The possible attack would involve sea-launched cruise missiles or long-range bombers striking military targets not directly related to the alleged chemical-weapons arsenal—and would probably not last more than two days. But former special-forces officer Andrew Slater writes that air power alone will be bloody and ineffective in Syria. To stop Bashar al-Assad and protect civilian life, we need Special Ops on the ground. WARNINGS As reports trickle out of Washington on Tuesday that the U.S. is considering a military strike on Syria, Bashar al-Assad's main allies, Russia and China, warned that a possible strike would be "catastrophic," despite allegations of a chemical-weapons attack by Assad's government. "Attempts to bypass the Security Council, once again to create artificial, groundless excuses for a military intervention in the region, are fraught with new suffering in Syria and catastrophic consequences for other countries in the Middle East," Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement. Meanwhile, worldwide oil prices rose rose to a five-month high in early trading Tuesday, and demand for the yen rose as well. Stocks opened low due to "risk-off trading." DAY 10 The massive blaze in along California's Pacific Rim moved to higher elevation Monday night, giving firefighters their first small break in fighting the fire, which has burned hotter and faster than any in the region's history. At the higher elevation and out of the steep ravines of the Sierra Nevadas, crews can fight the fire on more level ground—and huge air tankers can drop retardant on accessible ridges. "This fire will burn until the snow flies," said Tom Medema, a Yosemite National Park interpretative manager. "But today we finally had a chance to box it in." Containment reached 20 percent Monday, as the fire had left 161,000 acres charred in its path, destroyed at least 23 structures, and threatened two groves of giant sequoias and historical structures in the national park. AWFUL The Taliban executed 12 Afghans accused of being "government workers" in two provinces Tuesday, the latest in a series of attacks on civilians as the country grapples with the withdrawal of U.S. troops next year. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, in Pakistan, condemned the attacks while also blaming "foreign masters" (a.k.a. Pakistan) who "want Afghanistan to be an impoverished and underdeveloped country forever." Six people were killed in Herat, long considered one of the most stable in the country. The victims, four engineers and two trainers, worked for a World Bank–funded program created by Karzai's government. The other six victims, all drivers, were killed by the Taliban in the eastern province of Paktia. He's Baaack! Keith Olberman returned to ESPN2 on Monday night in damn fine form. The Daily Beast's Lloyd Grove was left applauding, but wondering how long before he gets KO'd this time. | | 
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