Maybe it's just me, but I have a distinct impression that when the United States dispatches heavily armed warships in response to a confrontation with a hostile nation, it is a truly important news event.The Times of London certainly thought so, as its Washington bureau reported yesterday:A potential conflict was brewing last night in the South China Sea after President Obama dispatched heavily armed American destroyers to the scene of a naval standoff between the US and China at the weekend. Mr Obama's decision to send an armed escort for US surveillance ships in the area follows the aggressive and co-ordinated manoeuvres of five Chinese boats on Sunday. They harassed and nearly collided with an unarmed American vessel. Among other foreign news outlets reporting the event were The Independent (UK), several other British newspapers, and the faraway  Australian News:A POTENTIAL conflict was looming in the South China Sea last night after President Barack Obama sent heavily armed...(Read Full Post)