This is bleepin’ brilliant –

This story is featured prominently at the British Guardian, but I haven’t seen it in any U.S. news sources so far:

The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the European Union to sign up for a range of new security measures for transatlantic travel, including allowing armed guards on all flights from Europe to America by US airlines.

The demand to put armed air marshals on to the flights is part of a travel clampdown by the Bush administration that officials in Brussels described as “blackmail” and “troublesome”, and could see west Europeans and Britons required to have US visas if their governments balk at Washington’s requirements.

Somebody read the article and try to figure out what bats are flying around in the Bushies’ heads.