Libyan Rebels asking for close air fire to take out Qaddafi's men.

[dkf]

They can't do it without us getting closer to the ground, providing them cover and taking out Qaddafi's tanks. When they take on Qaddafi's military, they are seriously outmatched. Also it is easy for our planes to see and destroy a bunch of Qaddafi's men from far away, harder when they aren't such obvious targets.

On MSNBC...Richard Engel.

Just a no fly zone?

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Question: If those knuckleheads can't work this shit out by themselves

how are they going to run that place after we give it to them?

[dkf]

2. OMG Richard Engel says rebels are a rag tag bunch in their dirty trucks

Sometimes driving in the wrong direction. He really seems to have little hope for their military competency.

We want to arm them? Then what? They still have no clue what to do.

[emilyg]

3. Fair question.

[Upton]

5. Well,.. Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah are there

just waiting for the opportunity..

[The Magistrate]

6. Here, There, And Everywhere, Sir....

Looked under your bed lately?

[Upton]

7. Hmm..

The presence of Islamist insurgents led by al-Qaeda and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah in violence-torn Libya has been established by Western intelligence agencies, reports quoting NATO's top military official said on Tuesday.

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/GeneralNews.aspx?Id=1586330&SM=1

They have yet to ascertain who or what resides under my bed..

[The Magistrate]

8. As Said, Sir: They Are Here, There, And Everywhere; Nowhere Is Safe from the Plague

All Moslems, all Arabs, are infected, and whatever they do is done only for the benefit, and at the behest, of al Queda....

[Hardrada]

9. That's what they would like us to believe.

I quit believing that in.... actually I have never believed that. !!

[The Magistrate]

10. Does Jane's have Pictures of The Latest Al Queda Detectors, Sir?

They are said to be accurate down to one Moslem in a million....

[Hardrada]

11. I think they only have pictures of the less accurate Mark VII.

New one must be still classified.

[Hugabear]

4. Why don't they just ask us to fight the entire fucking war for them?

After all, we have much better equipment and training. Gadhaffi's forces would be no match for NATO tanks and artillery.

Do I really need to add the :sarcasm:

[Hardrada]

12. That's what I have been wondering all week.

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. That's phase 3. We still have to send them guns & bibles

(Phase 2). Phase 3 follows after that doesn't work after a week or two.

[Hannah Bell]

14. I think that's basically what's happening.

"we" took out khaddafi's air force, "we" are providing arms, & "we" are giving the "rebels" air cover as they march on targets.

All that's left is for "we" to provide troops, & i bet it's coming.

[Hugabear]

15. And guess who's going to get blamed if they don't succeed?

Who are they going to be pissed at? Who are they going to accuse of "betraying" them?

The one thing we know how to do more than anything is create new enemies.

[Hannah Bell]

16. and who's going to get blamed if we get stuck in libya....obama....

[Hugabear]

17. Fucked either way you look at it

Which is one of the main reasons why we shouldn't have gotten involved here.

[dkf]

18. Well I don't think he can blame anyone else...

[David__77]

19. I would not be surprised if they demand ground troops.

Now, some would make the argument that ground troops SHOULD be provided to avert "genocide." I strongly disagree. That said, I do not see a fundamental difference between air support and ground support, except in terms of the human and financial cost to the intervening powers.

[ellisonz]

20. Special Forces

Not Conventional Units

Give the Libyan rebels extensive training, provide them with a limited amount of weapons to do a particular job (in this case destroy armored vehicles and locate enemy bases and strongpoints for airstrike), and watch them succeed with a relatively small amount of NATO personnel.

The quicker this ends the fewer casualties on all sides.

How hard would it be to authorize another UN Resolution allowing for a ground role and then providing for a small post-conflict peacekeeping mission?

The problem in the past has not been that international bodies reacted with intervention in the past period; rather it has been that they have not done so in situations where it was justified (Rwanda, Cambodia).

[The Magistrate]

21. There Are 'Specials' In There Already, Sir

The resolution does not bar infantry, only an occupation force.

[malaise]

22. How humanitarian

Oil is now human like all corporations