Libyan Clusterf**k: Abdel Fatah Younes murdered by his own men.

[Riesstiu IV]

Hey, I was all about saving lives. None of the rest of the **** where the French and English can't help with their amateurish regime change meddling. My conscience is clear.

Interventions are never done over humanitarianism. If they were, NATO would also be bombing Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

[Hauldren Collider]

And Zimbabwe. And probably Somalia.

[Dinner]

"We sure liberated the hell out of that town."

[Aeson]

... and Apolyton

[germanos]

"We sure liberated the hell out of that town."

Is it intentional you use a Nazi propaganda postcard to illustrate that?

[Dinner]

Oh, yeah.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

and here are a few snaps to show how it looks today

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/08/03/world/africa/20110804_LIBYA-4.html

[OneFootInTheGrave]

and at least some in the British press have the backbone to call it what it is

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/02/britain-bombs-libya-whitehall

When the army wanted no part of the operation, Cameron should have smelled a rat. By assigning Libya to airmen and sailors, Cameron put in the driving seat the two services without an ounce of strategic sense. His diplomats were equally silent, sidelined by technology and a decade of failed western policy towards the Arab world. The foreign secretary, William Hague, is known to have shared Washington's scepticism of going to war in Libya. But scepticism is not enough in these matters.

Above all, where was the senior civil service, supposed constraint on unwise government? Libya is one of many items on the coalition agenda where rash politics has run ahead of common sense, like attempted reforms to government forests, tuition fees, housing benefit, court sentences and planning law. During the Thatcher and Blair eras Whitehall lost its self-confidence in curbing and channelling power. Its elite was gradually supplanted by political advisers, computer salesmen, management consultants and temporary appointments.

Whatever may have been the shortcomings of the civil service at the end of the 20th century, it was minor compared with the chaotic policy formation that took its place. From poll tax and Iraq to the NHS and Libya, the march of folly through British government seems unstoppable. Now each night a pilot flies over Tripoli and drops bombs on it, achieving nothing but death and destruction. Libya is not a dependency of the United Kingdom. It was and is no threat to Britain or its people, and the consequent rise in the price of oil is not in Britain's interest. Libya is in the grip of a wretched civil war that Britain might have relieved with aid, but not bombers. It is a mistake. But who will say so?

Parliament, silent and feeble over interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, has spent three weeks beating its chest over the Murdoch press, even summoning the prime minister back from abroad to answer for his actions. It never summoned him over Libya, where every night people die. Parliament fiddles while Libya burns.

[Dinner]

The rebels have apparently finally made it to the capital and the BBC is reporting that the rebels are taking over.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14605391

[Aeson]

Does this mean we can leave? (Or have we left? I haven't been paying attention.)

[Dinner]

Hehe... Gaddafi was supposedly filmed announcing that the rebellion had been crushed and his forces were victorious even though there was gun fire and explosions which could be heard in the background. This guy must have gone to the same school as old Baghdad Bob.

[Dinner]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14608807

Rebels forces are no longer just surrounding Tripoli and fighting in the suburbs. Now they are now entering the city center and approaching the government buildings. No word about where Gaddafi is though there is speculation he fled the city.

[Ben Kenobi]

What astounds me is Obama's decision to go to war in the first place--a decision based on idle speculation about the rebels' motives, Qadaffi's motives, and a humanistic urge to "do something" couched in academic rhetoric. And all the while he predicted this campaign would be over in what was it, weeks or days? In foreign policy this President is an amateur.

War? It's a kinetic action. How long before Obama's adventure in Libya is over?

[Zevico]

War? It's a kinetic action.

Actually, Obama, in consultation with the finest physicists of our time, has discovered a new method of non-kinetic action for use in the United States Military. The military doesn't need to even move anymore. It just "does."

In fact, all Obama needs to do is think it and it will be so. When he lectures everyone to play nice and get along--the non-kinetic forces of the universe magically align, and the world conforms with his wishes. He's been using non-kinetic action for the past few years now. I'm surprised you haven't noticed.

[Dinner]

The government minders, who followed all foreign journalists to make sure they only reported pro-Gaddafi news, have all fled the hotels where the foreign journalists are staying. They did so without warning when it became clear the Rebel forces were closing in on their location. Right up to that moment they were declaring that the rebels had all been defeated.