Quickhits

Fill up tomorrow. BP is shutting down half of its Alaskan North Slope oil production (400,000 bpd - 8% of US production) because of a failing pipeline. (UPDATE: Iran, sensing an opportunity, piles on by threatening to use oil as a weapon if sanctions are imposed.)

40,000 deserters since 2000 the Pentagon says?

Iranians smuggling uranium from the Congo? This is from a fear mongering piece on Iran talking about sleeper cells in Britain. “The container was put in a secure part of the port and it was later taken away, by the Americans, I think, or at least with their help. We have all been told not to talk to anyone about this.”

The Israelis are leaving certain Hezbullah rocket installations in place to justify the continued assault? Thomas Ricks does have credibility and connections, so I'm not going to dismiss this out of hand.