President says it will be a short engagement…just a bit of bombing and we’re out out of there. Not so fast, says Defense Secretary Gates:
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday there was no “timeline” for when UN-backed military operations in Libya would end, and that the outcome of the conflict remained unclear.
Speaking during a visit to Cairo, Gates said the UN Security Council resolution that authorised a no-fly zone was “not time-limited” and that it was unrealistic to expect military action to be over in a matter of weeks.
“So I think that there is no current timeline in terms of when it might end,” Gates told reporters…
No surprise here. After all, our stated goal is democracy but not getting rid of Gaddafi, though we’d be happy if he were forced out…but its not like we’ll try to kill him, or anything. This is turning in to quite a nightmare…a genuinely aimless military operation being done for who knows what real reason…or perhaps being done for no reason at all, but just because someone in the Administration figured we had to do something.
As you all know, I favor US intervention in Libya – but only if its assist in forcing out Gaddafi. If we’re not doing that – if we’re not acting with a specific, measurable goal – then it is best we shut down the operation as swiftly as possible. If we keep going without a goal then we’ll just be sucked in, step by step, and might be deeply involved in Libyan affairs for a decade or more…and still never get Gaddafi out of power. All the way in, or all the way out…pick a course of action and stick to it to the end. But don’t just fritter away lives and resources in service to an attitude, or to the worthless United Nations.
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