March 24th, 2011
Another War to Handle
Obama has taken the first step into quicksand and will find it impossible to extricate himself. He has been lured by center-right governments in the UK and France to embrace the cause of saving Libyan civilians, a fight he probably cannot accomplish without ground troops and likely cannot win without regime change.
Even if Gadaffi goes, his clique is as likely to trigger a guerilla war as Saddam's did in Iraq. The opposition rebels are Al Qaida. That almost makes me want to give Muammar a big hug. Now we are supporting the terrorists that want us dead. What a mess.
So we jump into this fray with both feet. Reluctant or not, he's in it now – and the escalation begins. From no-fly zones enforced by bombing to no-drive zones for armor policed from the air. From protecting civilians to ousting Gadaffi. From toppling a regime to stopping a civil war.
And it will bite him in the ass.
I fear it will bite us all.
