Thinking about the United States and Libya

Of course I am worried about the possibilities that the U.S. attacks on Libyan targets may cause deaths and casualties, especially to civilians, and about the possibility of being dragged into a protracted conflict that we should not be dragged into and that we can not afford.

I am not an expert on military matters, but some things seem obvious to me, even though they don't seem equally obvious to politicians not the news media that give those politicians a platform.

War involves uncertainties, especially as those with whom one is fighting react to the strategies and tactics being used against them. I am sure that the coalition forces have not only made predictions of what will happen in the first days of the imposition of the no fly zone, but that they have also planned for what will be done if the first tactics don't work out as well as expected. It would be foolish for them to reveal these strategies and tactics, since the public would be demoralized by every setback and the enemy would use the information to counteract those strategies and tactics.

Barack Obama can walk and chew gum at the same time. He can work to improve relations with key Latin American states while keeping track of the military efforts in Libya (and Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other things), He can commit U.S. forces in cooperation with those of other allied nations to implement the decision of the UN Security Council and also direct the use of U.S. economic, diplomatic and information tools to increase the likelihood of Gaddafi's regime being deposed.