Russia Responds

Russian President Vladimir Putin knows what time it is. He has awakened in light of the terrorist attacks by Chechen militants:

"We are dealing with a direct intervention of international terror against Russia, with a total, cruel and all-powerful war which again and again takes the lives of our fellow countrymen," he said in a televised speech to the people.

"We must create a much more effective system of security. We must demand that our security forces act at a level appropriate to the level and scope of the new threats."

..."It is vital to create an effective anti-crisis management system -- including fundamentally new approaches in the activity of the security forces," he said.

In a previous blog:

"Terrorist attacks, particularly by groups such as al-Qaeda, are intended to be of such catastrophic magnitude as to send a strong political message to the targeted adversary and to the group's constituents in Islamic lands. In response, the United States, Britain, and their allies must be supported by good intelligence, strong situational awareness, and effective defensive, preemptive, and deterrence measures."

Putin is responding on behalf of Russia.