Respecting the sovereignty of other nations...? Why in the world would we want to do THAT...?

the wapo front-page article is headlined

New Plans Foresee Fighting Terrorism Beyond War Zones

it talks about three secret pentagon plans, approved by rummy, that outlines

. . . a significantly expanded role for the military -- and, in particular, a growing force of elite Special Operations troops -- in continuous operations to combat terrorism outside of war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

but, this is what caught my eye...

[I]n a subtle but important shift contained in a classified order last year, the Pentagon gained the leeway to inform -- rather than gain the approval of -- the U.S. ambassador before conducting military operations in a foreign country, according to several administration officials. "We do not need ambassador-level approval," said one defense official familiar with the order.

as someone who cannot enter a country where i am doing work on behalf of the united states government without the approval of the u.s. embassy in that country, i am fully aware that the quality of diplomatic relations can often depend on the local ambassador being in the know... you can be sure that "not needing ambassador-level approval" will just as often mean "not needing to inform the ambassador..."

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