The French Government has assumed principal responsibility for enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya. (DETAILS from Yahoo) and shot down at least one Libyan Air Force jet over the city of Benghazi, where Gadhafi’s loyalist troops are bombing and strafing rebels (apparently with an unholy glee). Gadhafi has tried to take an advantage of a time lag between the imposition of a UN Resolution and the imposition of a no-fly zone to bomb his own city of Benghazi ‘back to the stone age’.
The international outrage over Gadhafi’s conduct includes Italy where Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa has offered seven naval and air bases for NATO forces engaged in the effort against Libya. He said that the Italian government is prepared to offer, “moderate but determined military support”.
The US portion of the effort to protect the rebels from slaughter appears to be mid-air refueling, cruise missile strikes (from surface vessels and submarines) on Libyan airfields, coastal and air defenses and Libyan Air Force infrastructure. The US will also control the littoral portion of Libya to prevent the Libyan navy from attacking Benghazi from the sea. For a comprehensive list of reports from Reuters (CLICK HERE)
For a video of a Libyan fighter being shot down by a French aircraft – (CLICK HERE).
Libyan dictator, Moamar Gadhafi blames “Western powers” for the revolt that has shaken his nation, but the Arab League has called on NATO and “The West” to prevent the slaughter of innocent Libyans at the hands of the ‘unstable’ Gadhafi.
We can always predict what dictators will do to preserve their power.
We cannot predict what Obama will do to lead the US through the unrest throughout the Mideast and Africa. Perhaps this is part of his new world order where he remains silent or uncommitted to the spread of violence in other countries? Is this a sign of globalization or a sign of equivocation?
Who knows, since Obama hasn't said anything intelligible for several months now.
Obama acts as if he's effected by ADD – or maybe he's on heavy meds? You're dead on that he's more or less intelligible. He said he was going to devote shoe leather to walking the picket lines in Wisconsin but for one reason or other he never showed up.
Oblunder has decided that the European Powers should be at the forefront of this new conflict. That said, there were over 100 Tomahawks fired from US Navy vessels including submarines in this latest action. At least George Bush had congressional approval. The UN does not count.
Obama is falling back to the War Powers Act – but I wonder who actually gave the green light on the cruise missiles, because I don't know that he's capable of doing that.
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