A fresh act of savagery drills home the lesson. We are India, as we are Spain, as we are Great Britain, as we are the United States. We are, together, the breath-filled targets of ideological extremists who want us dead.

In the coming days we'll learn more about who and what was behind the astonishingly broad and carefully coordinated attacks in India. We'll learn if Americans were targeted, as reported. We'll learn if this assault has deep political ramifications for the nuclear-powered neighbors India and Pakistan, for the rest of the world.

For now, for today, we watch the shocking images from the streets of Mumbai and we're reminded of the power of terrorism, the capacity of small people with vicious intentions to provoke wide fear.

And we're reminded to be vigilant at home. As the attacks in Mumbai were carried out, U.S. authorities issued a warning that al-Qaida might have recently discussed making attacks on the New York subway system. A vague warning, to be sure. "We have no specific details to confirm that this plot has developed beyond aspirational planning, but we are issuing this warning out of concern that such an attack could possibly be conducted during the forthcoming holiday season," the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said.

We take a little more care, and grieve for the people of India on a day that is supposed to be reserved for giving thanks.

— Chicago Tribune- - -The duel last week between Demo-cratic heavyweights Henry Waxman of California and John Dingell of Michigan was a classic insider's battle: Two tough pols trying to outmuscle each other to lead the House's influential Energy and Commerce Committee.There wasn't a most likable guy in this race, but popularity wasn't the issue.At stake for air-breathing, gas-buying Americans was which congressional veteran was more likely to protect the environment and press Detroit to produce cars that consume less gasoline.For that reason, we're glad Waxman ousted Dingell as chairman. And we hope he takes the committee in a direction on the environment that Dingell proved over many years that he would not.As a congressman from the auto-producing Detroit area since 1955, Dingell showed little interest in having automakers get with the modern world and rethink the average fuel economy for cars and light trucks. Some, like New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, believe he even loved Detroit to death by not forcing it to keep up with energy-conscious foreign manufacturers.By contrast, look for Waxman to demand that the Big Three make more cars that pollute less. Look for him, too, to be less friendly with the coal industry. And look for him to lead, not retard, efforts to keep the climate from changing so fast.Of course, the Beverly Hills legislator will need his committee to make these things happen. Yes, he's the chairman, but he won that post by only three votes. A partisan to his core, he must employ more finesse than he has shown in his 34 years in the House. His modus operandi of burying anyone who gets in his way, particularly Republicans, won't achieve the broad consensus needed to make these changes last.But at least he starts out headed in the right direction. Families with kids who can't breathe and who spent last summer running up their credit card bills to pay for gasoline should see some relief.

— The Dallas Morning News