From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

New drums of war in the Middle East.

Hello again, I'm a moment only, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues, Americans care about most.

The U.S. will have to choose

between its wife and its girlfriend. Will it be Turkey or Iraqi Kurdistan? Meanwhile, Iran is

hanging around the back door. That's a crude metaphor that fits all too well with 100,000 Turkish

troops on the Iraqi border in an already violent region. At stake are stability in the only

tranquil part of Iraq. U.S. relations with the NATO ally

and the global price of crude oil.

On To the Point, Condoleiza Rice is on our way to Istanbul and Turkey's president will meet President Bush on Monday.

Can they calm an escalating crisis?

On reporter's notebook later on, waterboarding and Senate confirmation. First, here's the

news. Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and

Catherine T. McArthur Foundation. Hello again. Warman-Illany back with To the Point.

With 100,000 Turkish troops massed on the border with Iraqi Kurdistan, the U.S. is trying to avoid an

explosive new conflict. On To the Point, we'll hear about possible increased violence, the price of oil,

relations with a critical NATO ally, and U.S. diplomacy. On reporter's notebook, President Bush today defended

Michael Mukasey, but a lack of clarity on waterboarding could prevent his confirmation as Attorney General.

First, this news update, less than a week after Chrysler workers narrowly approved a new contract,

the automaker said today it's cutting 12,000 jobs and discontinuing several models of cars.

...