Mukherjee threatened that delicate balance when he first seemed to rule out the military option and tried to undo the damage a few hours later by ruling it in. If the first statement undermined the credibility of the Indian threat to retaliate, without which there is no incentive for the world to put pressure on Islamabad to act purposefully, the second suggested India was rushing into a war with Pakistan. Given the gravity of the strategic challenge that confronts India after Mumbai and the nuclear shadow that hangs over the region, New Delhi must urgently gain a firm control over its public message to its friends and adversaries. Even minor errors in crisis communication could lead to major irretrievable losses in the very difficult campaign that India has embarked upon.