So, how did I learn about the terrorist attack in India? Not on television … and certainly not from a newspaper. Not even from a blog. I first heard about it on Twitter — and, boy, did word spread like wildfire.

You may not use Twitter — and that’s ok. But, please take a minute to click on this link to read how people communicated the sheer terror in 140 characters or less. The link will take you to the stream of dialogue with updates about the attack. Many of the upates are firsthand accounts of the attacks. Thanks to Twitter, we can see unfiltered raw emotion …  fear … bewilderment. We don’t have to rely on a news anchor or reporter to tell us their interpretation of events. We can see for ourselves exactly what people are experiencing. Thanks to technology, we are so connected that we are able to “watch” a terrorist attack via tweets.

In the less than five minutes it took me to write this post, 72 more “tweets” have been sent out about Mumbai. Talk about global connectivity. Seriously, check out the link. You won’t read anything like it from the traditional media.

With all the attention paid to the impending financial bailout and the presidential campaigns, many other stories aren’t getting the appropriate attention in the news. As such, you may not have heard about Russia’s offer of a $1 billion loan to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to purchase arms.

According to the New York Times:

The move is the latest gesture of military friendship between Russia and Venezuela, two counties that have increasingly positioned themselves as mavericks vis-a-vis the West. The Kremlin says its economic and political stability have allowed it to broaden the scope of its military and economic cooperation beyond what it calls its traditional sphere of influence.

In my book, that seems like a big deal. We don’t have a good relationship with Chavez. He has been very outspoken about his disdain for America. And, Russia is clearly trying to solidify an already strong relationship with this dictator. Do our leaders have any response to that?

McCain may say he doesn’t want the debate to occur tonight because he needs to focus on the economy. However, I think the American people have a right to hear from our leaders about the increasingly cozy — and militaristic — relationship between Russia and Venezuela. That’s why it’s important for presidents to multi-task. A president who can only deal with one thing at a time leaves America vulnerable during challenging times. Again, not the kind of leadership we need.