Ars Technica reports that Microsoft Windows Vista, the operating system formerly known as Longhorn, will make its debut in time for the 2006 holiday shopping season. Mind you, nobody—not even Microsoft—seems really sure what will actually be in the OS, so this may all turn out to be a massively-hyped non-event, something not entirely unfamiliar to observers of the computer industry.

Timothy Sandefur tentatively says no. I tend to agree; however, Roslin’s decision to send Lt. Thrace (Starbuck) back to Caprica on a secret mission at the very least violated the military chain of command.

The proper response, however, is not a coup. In the grand scheme of things, Roslin’s action did not lead to the sort of imminent danger that would justify bypassing civilian procedures; presumably, the Quorum of Twelve can impeach and/or remove the president, or there is a civil judiciary that can exercise that authority.

The larger political mess is that Adama’s incapacitation has left Colonel Tigh holding the bag for this decision, and he neither has the wherewithal or the gravitas to resolve things the way Adama might have been able to do.