Posted on 03/19/2011 2:53:31 PM PDT by TheConservativeCitizen
The rebel stronghold of Benghazi is under attack from the south, the west, and the sea. Extensive shelling is reported in the western part of the city, and tanks are moving into the suburbs. Panicking civilians are fleeing east as rebel leaders demand immediate international intervention. A rebel fighter jet has been shot down over the city, possibly by friendly fire.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/19/us-libya-idUSTRE7270JP20110319
Gaddafi spokesman read two open letters, one addressed to Obama the other directed to Ban Ki Moon, Sarkozy and Cameron. Both defended Libya’s right to defend itself from what he described as terrorists, but the letter to Obama was much more conciliatory calling Obama “brother” and “a son”, in the second letter Gaddafi was much more defiant, calling any intervention illegal and threatening consequences. Gaddafi is probably trying to drive a wedge between the US and Europe.
I am not a military expert by any stretch, but the strategy seems obvious here. Gaddafi is using a WWII Soviet tactic from the battle of Stalingrad called “The Russian Bear Hug”. When faced with overwhelming Nazi firepower from artillery and the air, the Russians moved their trenches right up to the German front lines, forcing the Germans to risk bombing their own when they attacked Russian positions. If Gaddafi manages to move his forces into Benghazi before they are destroyed by coalition air power, it will be very difficult to preform tactical strikes amidst the chaos of urban warfare. Under such conditions pilots will have a hard time distinguishing friend from foe, have trouble avoiding massive civilian casualties, and risk being shot down by both government and rebel forces.
Since in our infinite wisdom we made this war our own, the US must act NOW to stop Ghaddafi forces before they are entrenched in Benghazi.
More than iraq? I think not. i would call Iraq a fairly bloodless war...on our side that is. I don’t care to see that kind of money spent though. But if we pull out of europe and stay out of europe, the expense wouldn’t be all that terrible. I’d still keep missile bases in poland and the crimea though, if I was president. Actually, I might even put a naval base in the crimea. A small one.
Once libya is cleaned up, I’d probably pull back to tunisia and malta and set up permanent bases there.
Gaddafi’s strategy is that he has almost killed off all the rebels and thinks he can wrap it up in the next day or so. After that it is just Iraq redux. Maybe another oil for food program is in the works.
This sounds like it was before the current JDAM’ing.
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