"The recent attempts by the US to urge its allies to boost their combat roles in southern Afghanistan has both puzzled and antagonised some Nato members, who see it as unconstructive and driven mainly by America's domestic politics."

Egads. A Russian story of revenge.

Our rodent weather god has sentenced us to six more weeks of winter.

SATURDAY NEWS:
* Nice. Federal appeals court refuses to review Guantanamo ruling.
* 'Why the job market is even worse than you think.'
* "The Surge was supposed to be a holding action while the Iraqis sorted themselves out. But the Iraqis aren't sorting themselves out."
* Andrew Cohen notes that the Attorney General isn't the only one who can end waterboarding.
* Huh. A major al Qaeda commander is killed, but neither the US nor Pakistan takes credit.
* What's the Senate ethics panel working on?
* "The proposed Yahoo deal is a confirmation that Microsoft has become exactly what Bill Gates used to fear — sluggish and bureaucratic."

The AV Club presents eighteen particularly ridiculous prog-rock album covers.