US Ending Its Air Combat Role in Libya (Video of 'Rebels' Running Away)

ABC News ^ | April 1, 2011 | ROBERT BURNS

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

The Pentagon is about to pull its attack planes out of the international air campaign in Libya, hoping NATO partners can take up the slack.

The announcement Thursday drew incredulous reactions from some in Congress who wondered aloud why the Obama administration would bow out of a key element of the strategy for protecting Libyan civilians and crippling Moammar Gadhafi's army.

"Odd," ''troubling" and "unnerving" were among critical comments by senators pressing for an explanation of the announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen that American combat missions will end Saturday.

"Your timing is exquisite," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said sarcastically, alluding to Gadhafi's military advances this week.

[ReformedBeckite]

The Pentagon is about to pull its attack planes out of the international air campaign in Libya, hoping NATO partners can take up the slack.

When a Democrat administration says this it means, we are going to take a break, rearm, and get back in the fight tomorrow morning and finish them off.

[ResponseAbility]

Most confusing April First...ever.

[Rennes Templar]

The part of his base that reminded him of his Nobel Peace Prize became louder than the part that wanted to avoid a humanitarian crisis. So now he has appeased both.

[Puckster]

"They found out that most of the rebels were Al Qaeda." HITTI: THE ASSASSINS Al Qaeda is the modern day offspring of the mountain fortress Alamut, where they opposed the Caliphate and any that would defy their control. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's second in command,is believed to be an adherent of this sect. The Assassins, and today's Al Qaeda, have the same intentions as of old....control the middle east. "About 1090, a "Grand Master", whom the Crusaders referred to as "The Old Man of the Mountain" took hold of a fortress, Alamut, known as the "Eagles Nest". This was in Northern Persia up in the mountains at about 10,000 feet. The Alamut Assassins were a secret organization, one of history's strangest religious sects. It began a long campaign of terror against its perceived enemies of Islam. The lowest devotees or young initiates were called fidais. They were required to carry out the orders of the leaders with dispatch and blind obedience. Marco Polo encountered the Alamut stronghold in 1271. He recounted that the "Grand Master", Hasan ibn al Sabbah, had re-created a garden right out of Mohammed' descriptions of Paradise in the Koran, complete with a number of nubile young women. The fidais were given heavy doses of hashish and then brought into the garden. They believed they were actually in Paradise. After about five days of wine, women and fine food, they were again drugged with hashish and taken from the garden. Of course, when hashish wore off, the fidias wanted to go back to the garden. They were told they could return, forever, if they obeyed the Master without question and absolute fidelity or were killed in the process. (Does this have a familiar ring to it?)" The Al Qaeda maybe Islamic, but they have a first priority....control. Obama, hasn't a clue.....or does he?

[rfp1234]

WTF? Hope it’s an April Fool joke.

[hal ogen]

The whole nobama administration is a bad (very, very bad) April Fool’s joke. nobama hates you, hates your family, hates Americans, hates Free America, hates the Constitution and hates the Bill of Rights. nobama is a hate crime foisted upon the USA.

[Aevery_Freeman]

LOL! Obama admitting a mistake (chortle, chortle) - you crack me up.

[kitkat]

” A retired Army general, James Dubick, wrote Thursday in a war commentary that a necessary next step is to place NATO combat air controllers on the ground — to include Americans — to precisely direct air power. Trainers also are needed, he wrote.”

Let’s see, who was it who was screaming about our sending Americans to Viet Nam? Hmmm...ah yes, the DEMOCRATS. Now they want to send our men and women troops to help the Muslim Brotherhood. Where’s Jane Fonda now?

Obama’s acting as though he solved the problem by getting NATO into the fight is pathetic. NATO IS America. NATO IS our young men and women.

[Puckster]

Addendum

[Tallguy]

The Pentagon is about to pull its attack planes out of the international air campaign in Libya, hoping NATO partners can take up the slack.

Yes, but all the refueling, AWAC's & Recon birds will be American. You can bet on that much. Some of the fighters boring holes in the sky awaiting a Libyan with a death-wish will also be US.

[Tallguy]

The only tangible thing that we are going to gain from this mess is that the EU will secure its energy interests in Libya. That’s it, period.

We are spending US blood & treasure to help Italy, France & Germany with their fuel supply.

We don’t even need to defeat Khaddafi to do this. What we need to do is keep him & his forces bottled up and away from the oil fields. A costly & messy victory that will need constant policing until Khaddafi’s people decide to “do him”.

[BobL]

“I think this is Obama admitting it was a mistake. He has almost no support on this.”

Agree. And regardless of support, maybe he’s learning about nation-building from Iraq. We pick a side, and that side is automatically looked at by everyone else there as a tool of the US...we cannot win.

[ScottinVA]

Or Moochelle is bugging him about their next vacation.

[katana]

"Hope" that NATO will "pick up the slack"? It is stunning that these a**hats don't seem to be aware of the fact that we are NATO!

[Liberty1970]

Most confusing April First...ever.

I agree. So much of what the administration has been doing under Obama has been bizarre, it's going to be impossible sorting things out today.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“The Pentagon is about to pull its attack planes out of the international air campaign in Libya, hoping NATO partners can take up the slack. “

Whoah whoah whoah... “Hoping NATO take up the slack?”

This idiot needs to be impeached just for being incompetent. Never mind being an unamerican racist AfroMarxist.

[bert]

Un mentioned were the air traffic control provided by the Awacs. Are they leaving too and or does NATO sans the USAF have AWACS

The Saudi’s do. Are they via the Arab League providing AWACS control?

[blueunicorn6]

I thought I saw Joe Biden coming out of that mosque with two suitcases full of Qadaffi’s money.

[longtermmemmory]

no that was Joe Biden heroicly recovering Tarp money paid out to lybian banks...

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Virginia Ridgerunner.

"Odd," ''troubling" and "unnerving" were among critical comments by senators pressing for an explanation of the announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen that American combat missions will end Saturday.

Okay, maybe we're about to enter the Mother of All Pass The Popcorn Moments.