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| AP: Qaddafi supporters in Tripoli |
Nobel Prize winner followed the French lead into this debacle. Pro-American President Sarkozy was in turn sold a bill of goods by a gadfly philosophe, Bernard-Henry Levi, who naively informed his leader upon return from Benghazi that Libya's oil was up for grabs. Apparently European intelligence services also overestimated the degree of the military's dissatisfaction with the maverick Libyan leader. Consequently, the western alliance is in public disarray over the intervention. French defense minister, Gerard Longuet, told a domestic TV audience that "we must now sit around a table", the military operation having failed in it's objective. Even the suspect Benghazis are offering to let Col. Qaddafi stay in country provided he gives up power, a step back from their previous ultimatum. Italy is becoming increasingly uncomfortable with its role as airbase for the NATO attacks. It is the destination for thousands of Libyan refugees among whom may be a bomber or two if Qaddafi's threats to take the fight to Europe hold any water. Germany never supported military intervention on the side of the disorganized tribal insurrectionists. The United States as usual is playing at both ends. Its alleged "support role", sold at home to placate nervous politicians and provide legal cover, is in fact crucial to the NATO military effort. It controls all of the military bandwidth used for command and control, and has designated 80% of the targets for French aviators. 33 of 41 tanker aircraft are American, as are all of the drones, and the laser guidance kits for bombs*. It supplies its allies with replacement munitions. On the other hand, there is very little political will to escalate a stalemated military situation especially when Obamatron and his party are in deadlock with their political opponents over the federal deficit, another opera buffa of their own making.
*figures provided by journalist Alexander Cockburn writing at FirstPost.co.uk
More: {7.7.11}Italy's prime minister, Silvio 'Bunga-bunga' Berlusconi said Thursday he was against the Libyan war before he was for it. NATO is using bases in southern Italy to stage air raids on Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi without a decisive effect in the months old civil war. Berlusconi said his hands were tied by a vote of the Italian parliament supporting the intervention. His comments reveal the fragility of the alliance regarding the Libyan bombing campaign. Berlusconi went on to say that he was in general agreement with Chancelor's Merkel's position to support a humanitarian aerial interdiction, but not a military campaign supporting rebels with tactical air support. Most observers believe that the war will end when residents of Tripoli, the capital and Qaddafi's power base, revolt against their leader. No signs of that happening yet. Rebel gains on the ground towards the capital are not sufficient to alter the balance of power.
{5.7.11} Over the cancelled 4th of July recess, the Senate again delayed debate on an authorization for the as of now illegal Libyan conflict that is in it's fourth month. According to the Cable blog, a vote will not be held until after the August recess since the senators are locked in closed door debate about raising the debt ceiling. The Libyan war puts conservative and liberals senators alike in an uncomfortable political position. War hawks reflexively support military operations, but their constituents are clearly tired of endless military interventions, especially when their health benefits are threatened with cuts to reduce the federal deficit. Democrats are under pressure to support the President who attacked Libya without seeking congressional authorization. Obamatron & Folks' position that the US intervention does not constitute "hostilities" under the War Powers Act is ludicrous, and its fallback argument that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional is embarrassing since it passed a Democratically controlled Congress over a Republican presidential veto. The American people deserve to have this issue debated and their representatives go on record. Arrogantly kicking the can down the road is killing people.