I'd like to know exactly WHY we are involved in Libya. Their problems posed no threat to the United States in any possible way. Let that side of the world handle up on their own problems.
I got to honestly say I'm ambivalent. I see absolutely no immediate interest for the US in this fight and our CinC makes me loathe to arrest jaywalkers let alone confront a (semi-)modern military.
I suppose an argument could be made that by supporting the rebels then going home counters the "imperialism" charge so often leveled at our more genuine efforts, i.e. A-stan and Iraq.
However, unless we have a follow-on game to midwife whatever government replaces Khadaffi obviously one thugocracy will replace another and we could have a real genuine threat to the US emerge just as the generic mujahadeen gave way to the AQ supporting Taliban. (Not that you don't already know all this, I'm just being complete for the sake of discussion.)
Even then this "adventure" will pay dividends. If we do properly groom Khadaffi's replacement (hard to imagine with an absentee landlord) so much the better but even in A-stan it was hard to call it an imperialist effort after the fact we ended our involvements in A-stan as soon as the Soviets pulled-out. It was the one argument the left couldn't get to take root in the public mind. Note how much more success they had with that angle vis-a-vis Iraq.
Still, the fact remains the population in Libyan is in thralldom to a moribund civilization that transcends national borders. Until *that* is dealt with the whole damn placed is screwed beyond repair. At best we can hope to infect them with the same cultural institutions bequeathed to us by the Judeo-christian ethicists.
That being the case, any influence we exert is positive. We aren't taking out a dictator, we are laying in-roads to overturn one of the worst plagues of human history. The goal is abstract and the fight is long. The general to receive the final surrender has not been born yet.
Given Sarkozy and Cameron's recent comments on the failures of multi-culturalism I believe these thoughts are at the back of their considerations.
Would that we had a capable and interested leader at this junction and whatever Obama brings to the fight he brings at the nagging of his betters.
But does Libya pose an immediate threat or have they rendered us some recent insult? No.
We must play this for a much bigger purpose despite the leadership left us by those more interested in liberal fantasies and racial guilt.
