Well, apparently I've been chided about the quickness to attribute to Basayev the title of heir apparent.

Jesus... miss a link and before you know it you're accused of playing the armchair pundit! Anyway the phrase "heir apparent" should have been a link to this Al Jazeera story, which states the following:

"With Maskhadov gone, Basayev – who has claimed responsibility for attacks like on the Moscow's theatre and the Beslan school siege that together left nearly 500 people dead – is likely to assume the post of Chechnya's rebel leader."

So you see, about stuff I know *very* little about (such as the internal balance of the Chechen resistance), I just link to viewpoints, I don't make 'em.
 

Following the Haradinaj story with interest -- will try to post something later.

My wife made a post on Sgrena over at aFoE yesterday. Scroll down the comments for the PoV of a recent American returnee from Iraq. Jim Henley over at Unqualified Offerings has some good thoughts and links (several of them, scroll down over the last couple of days.)


Doug M.