I’m more shocked to find the New York Times actually writing about it…. ht Patriot Dreamer & PhillyCon (NYT-CAIRO) — In post-revolutionary Egypt, where hope and confusion collide in the daily struggle to build a new nation, religion has emerged as a powerful political force, following an uprising that was based on secular ideals. The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group once banned by the state, is at the forefront, transformed into a tacit partner with the military government that many fear will thwart fundamental changes.   (more…)

Is it “Sexist” if it’s true?…..  According to The Nation’s Katha Pollitt: ‘YES‘ – Women advocates, both liberal and conservative, are frustrated by the media’s fascination with the narrative that for the first time in American history, women, not men, were supposedly key in pushing for the use of military force against a foreign government. Reports highlight that the three-woman diplomatic team of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and the Office of Multilateral and Human Rights Director Samantha Power pushed the male-dominated administration to take military action against Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. (more…)

I’m thinking the unilateral approach would have been better at this point.  This is getting ridiculous.  It’s just symantics and once again America is left doing all the heavy lifting…….. WASHINGTON (AP)— NATO agreed has to take over part of the military operations against Libya — enforcement of the no-fly zone — after days of hard bargaining among its members. But attacks on the ground will continue to be run by the coalition led by the U.S., which has been anxious to give up the lead role.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who announced the NATO agreement late Thursday in Brussels, said the alliance operation would proceed in parallel with the bombing campaign carried out by coalition aircraft.  (more…)

NATO countries have agreed to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya “to protect civilians” against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters.  He said the military alliance’s mandate did not go beyond the no-fly zone but NATO could also act in self-defense. He appeared to contradict an earlier statement by Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, that NATO would take command of all coalition military operations in Libya. (more…)

ht – PatriotDreamer I still like Operation Princess Rainbow Sparkle Pony myself…. (Washington Examiner)- In the last few days, Obama administration officials have frequently faced the question: Is the fighting in Libya a war? From military officers to White House spokesmen up to the president himself, the answer is no. But that leaves the question: What is it? (more…)

I said over a month ago that if Quackdaffy was still in place on Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17th, nothing the West could/would do – would remove him from power.   All of the talk of flyover effectiveness is essentially a moot point.   Daffy was not using planes to win back his geography.  He was/is using his ground loyalist army to win city by city.  The only way he will be defeated is if  the West puts boots on the ground.   Not likely?  I’m not so sure anymore.  Here’s the latest……   (more…)

Today House Speaker John Boehner sent the following letter to Obama (PDF Version available Here) essentially saying Dear Sir, What the heck are you doing?……  Here is the full transcript.  (Quite good) (more…)

“Defined” A situation or condition that results from the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic qualities, identities, or activities:….. President Obama says dictator Moammar Gadhafi “has to go” and the United States and its coalition partners are bombing Libya, but the White House refuses to connect these dots. America is poised to spend billions of dollars and kill scores or hundreds of Libyans but specifically rules out achieving its national objectives. It is a schizophrenic and futile approach to war.  (more…)

In a shock admission, U.K. ministers have admitted the intervention in Libya could last for up to ’30 years’.
Deep divisions between allied forces currently bombing Libya worsened today as the German military announced it was pulling forces out of NATO over continued  disagreement on who will lead the campaign.   A German military spokesman said it was recalling two frigates and AWACS surveillance plane crews from the Mediterranean, after fears they would be drawn into the conflict if NATO takes over control from the U.S.  The infighting comes as a heated meeting of NATO ambassadors yesterday failed to resolve whether the 28-nation alliance should run the operation to enforce a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone, diplomats said.   Yesterday a war of words erupted between the U.S. and Britain after the U.K. government claimed Muammar Gaddafi is a legitimate target for assassination.

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“Let me be perfectly clear – The united states is not going to deploy ground troops into Libya, and we are not going to use force to go beyond a well-defined goal, specifically the protection of civilians in Libya. In the coming weeks we will continue to help the Libyan people with humanitarian and economic assistance so that they can fulfill their aspirations peacefully,” President Obama 3/18/11 (more…)