Now that Gadhafi has had time to organize his mercenary forces and bring them to bear against the rebels, the rebels will begin to come under significant pressure. This would be an excellent time to put birds in the air to support them. Not a "no fly zone." That's too timid, and it's too resource intensive: there's no reason to try to control all the airspace all the time. You only want to find, fix, and finish his armor and air assets. That and air drop supplies on the rebels -- along with PSYOP/MISO leaflets declaring our friendship and support of their quest for freedom, along with a clear statement that we will support them from the air but not by invading. Robert Fisk reported last week that Obama was trying to swing a secret arms deal through Saudi Arabia. I'm not sure how much to trust a report by Mr. Fisk, in any event; but if that's the thinking at the White House, they're missing the boat. Half the reason to support the rebels is to get rid of Gadhafi. The other half (and perhaps the 'bigger half') is to establish a positive relationship with the successor state. The point at which they come under heavy fire is the point at which their hearts and minds are most amenable to being won by the sight of American warbirds coming to their aid. Let their march to victory then be lit by the fires from Gadhafi's tanks. They will remember this. We almost switched our national language to French because of their aid at the hour of our revolution. If they had not shortly afterward descended into the chaos of the Reign of Terror, we might have remained close. Unfortunately, our head appears to be elsewhere. The State Department believes that supplying any arms to the Libyan opposition to support its struggle against Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi would be illegal at the current time. "It's very simple. In the U.N. Security Council resolution passed on Libya, there is an arms embargo that affects Libya, which means it's a violation for any country to provide arms to anyone in Libya," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said on Monday. Uh-huh. If it's too hard for you folks to overcome your 'international law' principles here, take heart. Technically, it's no violation of this embargo to provide Gadhafi with bombs by dropping them on his tanks. And water? Food? Medical supplies? Leaflets? Those can go to the rebels without violating any embargo. This is an opportunity that comes along but rarely. Seize it. I know you didn't want it: but previous administrations did; and future ones will curse you, or thank you, based on what you make of it now that it is here.
Read the complete post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Blackfive/~3/tW6Bl4oKryU/now-would-be-a-good-time-to-quit-screwing-around.html
Posted
Mar 08 2011, 11:39 AM
by
BLACKFIVE