Guess we'll wait and see. Would you agree that if the US is getting involved (militarily) and with unified world wide UN support, that whoever wins will have had the blessing of the US government? To be honest, I suppose my sympathies lie slightly more with the rebels. Who wants to live under a dictator? But the reality is that there are a huge number of unknowns regarding this, not the least of which is "Who the #@*& is gonna keep the peace?" It is as #@*&ed up a situation as we've ever encountered. And The One wades straight on in. I guess if it works out, he's a visionary, right? He saw what needed to be done and he did it. OTOH if it goes to shiite, then he's JC2.
More than 110 Tomahawk missiles fired from American and British ships and submarines hit about 20 Libyan air and missile defense targets in western portions of the country, U.S. Vice Adm. William Gortney said at a Pentagon briefing. An eyewitness in Misrata said Gadhafi's forces are targeting fuel and power stations in an effort to make citizens believe the damage is being done by coalition forces. The eyewitness, who was not identified for security reasons, said people celebrated allied airstrikes on loyalist positions in the city. CNN could not verify the account. http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/19/libya.civil.war/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1
Before we romanticize these "rebels" too much, we best acknowledge we don't really know a damn thing about them. This is very different than the populace uprising we saw in Egypt where tens, even hundreds of thousands were protesting, and doing it peacefully for the most part. These guys in Libya number a couple thousand and seem much more like opportunists trying to cash in on the current sentiment in the ME. Wouldn't surprise me a bit if the new boss is as bad, or worse than the old boss.
Much as we do not agree on other things, you are spot on about this. I guess it's human nature, or American nature anyway to support folks who do not like oppressive government. As you point out, this part of the world has an excellent record of replacing bad with worse, with regard to liberty. It would be a sad thing to see a revolution succeed in Libya only to be followed by an even worse dictatorship.
Live updates here if you want to keep up on what's going on in Libya. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/19/libya-no-fly-zone-live-updates
LOUIS FARRAKHAN TO OBAMA: "I warn my brother do you let these wicked demons move you in a direction that will absolutely ruin your future with your people in Africa and throughout the world...Why don't you organize a group of respected Americans and ask for a meeting with Qaddafi, you can't order him to step down and get out, who the hell do you think you are?"
So much for this "French lead coalition" against Libya. It's the USA firing all the cruise missiles. Our B-2 bombers and F-16's dropping bombs. Our command and control efforts are doing the coordinating. Tell me, exactly what are the French doing besides providing wine and cheese for those at the Summit meeting? We've been suckered, AGAIN!