NATO has begun around-the-clock surveillance flights of Libya, U.S. Ambassador to NATO says.

CNN ^ | Monday, March 7, 2011

[americanophile]

I share your sentiment.

[triumphant values]

...people flying out to the USA asking for Asylum?

Dear God, I hope not. 'Cause knowing our government, they'd probably give it to them. Along with food stamps and a Section 8 voucher and directions to some small town in Maine where they're stuffing the Somalians.

[saganite]

Actually, Daley makes sense. A lot of folks don’t know that imposing a no fly zone implies combat with Libyan jets if they decide to contest it. Not really a problem for our guys but a lot of people who should know better think it’s like shutting down their ATC by sending them a nasty note.

[Buckeye McFrog]

so Kha-Daffy knows that he is being watched closely while he is wiping out thousands of his own people

[chickadee]

I don’t disagree with that. It’s not what Daley said, it’s how he said it. Same for that metrosexual snot, Jay Carney.

[b4its2late]

And all this time I thought NATO stood for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. How stupid of me!

[caww]

Another tweet saying Zawya leveled by Gaddi bombing...others below...

a Constant shelling of Zawya Libya, this is pure genocide - the tanks aren't aiming, just firing”.... @bbcworld @Andersoncooper

via Twitter for iPhone 4libya:

Apartment buildings are blown to bits in Zawya as Gaddafi continues his shelling campaign.

Gaddafi forces are literally burning the city of Zawya - I expect the death toll to be shocking

RT @bintlibya:

Please @Amnesty @UN #world the city of Zawya is being massacred..the tanks are shooting at everything using mortar shells.

BChangeWinds:

Constant shelling of Zawya Libya, this is pure genocide - the tanks aren't aiming, just firing at everything.

[Ditto]

A lot of folks don’t know that imposing a no fly zone implies combat with Libyan jets if they decide to contest it.

Correct. And before we could even get that far, we have to 'neutralize' (i.e. blow the s*** out of) all of their ground-to-air defense systems.

If you remember, back in 1986 when Reagan went after them, they were able to shoot down one of our F-111s. I would not underestimate their ability. Establishing a no-fly zone there is not a trivial exercise. It will cost a lot of money, and quite possibly American blood.

[MinorityRepublican]

Let the Dictator do the dirty deed. After all, we’re not the World’s Police.

[MinorityRepublican]

Let the Dictator do the dirty deed. After all, we’re not the World’s Police.

[Marine_Uncle]

No fly zone (will require air to ground attacks on Libyan military units/facilities) = war with Libya.
Bombing Libyan airports by NATO (per Kerry) = war with Libya.
American policy in recent years = go to UN to get approval. Russian and China will say no.
And one has to consider how the Administration and DOD consider the effectiveness of Libya regarding their part in the ongoing WOT. Gadhafi's points on that particular issue may be valid. Of course at this point it might be a mute point.
I wish Kerry and McCain would keep their big mouths shut.
If we go to war with Libya then it is just that. To not believe the US would eventually have to send in US troops, for instance Special Operations (SOP) units, is rather naive. I can appreciate where the Administration and DOD are going slow on this one.

[Truth29]

"Dear God, I hope not. 'Cause knowing our government, they'd probably give it to them. Along with food stamps and a Section 8 voucher and directions to some small town in Maine where they're stuffing the Somalians."

Obama would look at them as future Democrat voters. Maybe there will be a wave of Libyan restaurants. You can bet if there is a way to screw this up and cost us more blood and treasure, that will be Obama's choice.

[kingattax]

If it’s not in the Nato charter, Bill Clinton will show them how he ex post facto rewrote the charter for the war on Yugoslovia.

i'm sure with an assist from that nitwit madeline halfbright

[ExNewsExSpook]

More like RC-135 and EP-3 SIGINT missions...they’ve been flying missions in the Med for years, out of RAF Mildenhall (USAF) and Souda Bay, Crete (USN). Just a matter of increasing the frequency of the missions.

Joint STARS would be marginally useful in this type of conflict, fought mostly by small units. AWACS could be used to monitor Libyan Air Force activity, although tracking attack helos at low altitude is more difficult. Global Hawk and U-2s are probably providing much of the tactical imagery coverage.

[StAnDeliver]

"Somebody must have told Obama that high gas prices will cost him reelection."

Hell yes. Bush won Term II because US rarely unseats a sitting wartime President. Well, and Kerry sucked. But you can't deny that chart.

And you don't see anyone jumping to recreate this chart for Bobo (Pollkatz who created this was just another demented lib with a clever pigs-n-acorns corollary -- retired in '08, as he should have).

[griswold3]

Are we so sure who is our ‘frienemy’?
Rumor is that AlQueda is in the east.

[RaceBannon]

Is there anyone else who is worried at how the Muslim Brotherhood is behind all this unrest, and the Muslim Brotherhood is who is behind all the terrorist acts against Israel and the US and NOW we are going to bomb Libya to support a MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD terrorist action??

[JoeRed]

No Blood for Oil...
unless it will help get a demonrat elected.

[Drill Thrawl]

If NATO is not going to blow them out of the sky on sight, I fail to see the point of putting the NATO troops in harms way.

As with anything military I believe in an overwhelming response. Go full bore or go home. In this case I would prefer the Go Home option.

[Truth29]

You might be right. I don't think most of us have a clue who the rebels are or the implications of a Libya post Qaddafi. Obama seems to be sewing turmoil and instability throughout the Middle East.