Better Call the SWAT Team

I try whenever possible to keep a sense of humor about things. Unfortunately, this isn't funny at all:

Pakistani authorities advised the people of Swat valley, in the north west, to evacuate the district's main town Mingora Tuesday, as Taliban extremists took effective control of the place.

A humanitarian crisis now looks likely as the provincial government said that 500,000 people are expected to flee Swat.

Locals reported that Taliban fighters in charge of the streets of Mingora, having fought gun-battles with the local army base through the night.

Up to now, Pakistan had pretended that a controversial peace accord with Taliban in Swat was still holding. But the evacuation indicated that the situation was no longer manageable and that an army offensive against the militants could begin within hours.

Guess it's time to stop pretending.

We've had a few dress rehearsal crises so far in the young Obama administration: the pirates, the swine flu, etc. This is the real deal. We're about to find out if his administration is up to the task. I pray it is.

(H/T: Hot Air)